[UPDATED] PM Young invites Carter Center to Trinidad and Tobago polls

PRIME Minister Stuart Young will invite the Carter Center to visit TT as observers for the April 28 general elections, he announced at a post-Cabinet briefing at Whitehall, St Ann’s on March 20. He said he had instructed Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Amery Browne to invite the US-based organisation.

He said he has already invited Commonwealth Secretary General Baroness Patricia Scotland to send an observer team, even as former PM Dr Keith Rowley had previously invited a Caricom observer team. Young said Rowley had invited Caricom via a letter of December 10, 2024, and Caricom had given an affirmative reply on January 13, 2025; this correspondence all preceding Young becoming PM and calling the election date.

Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar in statement on March 19 recalled requesting Young sent international observers.

She said, “Despite the government’s invitation to Caricom observers, the opposition strongly believes that independent, non-Caribbean international observers are necessary to ensure a free and fair electoral process.

“Given the government’s troubling track record on democratic integrity, the Opposition Leader has called on the Prime Minister to act immediately and invite independent international observers to safeguard the credibility of the 2025 general elections.”

Young said a diplomatic note had since been sent on March 19 to Caricom notifying them of the April 29 election date and saying the government would welcome Caricom observers. He explained all this against the backdrop of him having just received Persad-Bissessar’s letter.

Against Persad-Bissessar’s questioning of any Caricom observer team, Young said he would stand at the forefront of defending Caricom, saying the region was strong together in this current global era of uncertainty.

“We will not disrespect Caricom in any way.”

Saying the opposition leader was questioning any Caricom observer team on the grounds that Caricom assistant general Elizabeth Solomon, he dismissed that claim as “completely ridiculous.”

Young declared, “We intend to have free and fair elections as we have always had.

“Every time a particular party loses an election, they look for every excuse and run to the courts.

“To take away from that, we have invited those three bodies.”

The Carter Center, on its website, describes itself as a “non-governmental, non-profit organisation” founded in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1982 by former US president, the late Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Carter, in partnership with Emory University after his defeat in the 1980 US presidential election.

The website said the organisation has done peace and health work globally.

“Since 1989, the Carter Center has observed 125 full and limited observation missions in 40 countries and three Native American nations.”

These included elections in US, Guyana, Jamaica, Cuba, Venezuela, Colombia and Dominican Republic in the region, plus extra-regionally the likes of China, Egypt, Ghana, Indonesia and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Sir Paul Tovua, chair of the Solomon Islands Political Parties Commission, lead Commonwealth observers to TT’s general election in 2015.

Rowley had invited Caricom and the Commonwealth to send election observers to the general election in 2020, but amid the covid19 quarantine requirements plus financial constraints, none came.

This story was originally published with the title "Judge rules for suspended cop" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

PRIME Minister Stuart Young will invite the Carter Center to visit TT as observers for the April 28 general elections.

He made this announcement at a post-Cabinet briefing at Whitehall, St Ann's, on March 20.

Young said he has already invited Commonwealth secretary general Baroness Patricia Scotland to send an observer team, even as former PM Dr Keith Rowley had previously invited a Caricom observer team.

He said Rowley had invited Caricom via a letter on December 10, 2024, and Caricom had given an affirmative reply on January 13, 2025, this correspondence all preceding Young becoming PM and calling the election date.

Young said a diplomatic note had since been sent on March 19 to Caricom notifying them of the April 28 election date and saying the government would welcome Caricom observers.

He explained all this against the backdrop of having just received a letter from Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar calling for observers.

Against Persad-Bissessar's questioning of any Caricom observer team, Young said he would stand at the forefront of defending Caricom, saying the region was strong together in this current global era of uncertainty.