Christine Kangaloo

{{Short description|President of Trinidad and Tobago since 2023}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = Her Excellency

| honorific-suffix = ORTT

| name = Christine Kangaloo

| image = The Hon Christine Kangaloo.jpg

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption = Madam President Kangaloo

| office = 7th President of Trinidad and Tobago

| term_start = 20 March 2023

| term_end =

| primeminister = Keith Rowley
Stuart Young

| 1blankname = Senate President

| predecessor = Paula-Mae Weekes

| successor =

| office1 = President of the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago

| term_start1 = 23 September 2015

| term_end1 = 17 January 2023

| primeminister1 = Keith Rowley

| president1 = Anthony Carmona
Paula-Mae Weekes

| predecessor1 = Raziah Ahmed

| successor1 = Nigel de Freitas

| office2 = Member of the Senate

| term_start2 = 23 September 2015

| term_end2 = 17 January 2023

| predecessor2 =

| successor2 = Richie Sookhai

| office3 = Minister of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education

| term_start3 = 8 November 2007

| term_end3 = 25 May 2010

| primeminister3 = Patrick Manning

| predecessor3 = Mustapha Abdul-Hamid

| successor3 = Fazal Karim

| office4 = Member of Parliament for Pointe-à-Pierre

| term_start4 = 5 November 2007

| term_end4 = 8 April 2010{{cite news |title=Trinidad gov't dissolves parliament for election |url=https://uk.reuters.com/article/trinidad-election/trinidad-govt-dissolves-parliament-for-election-idUKN0822452920100408 |publisher=Reuters |date=8 April 2010 |language=en |accessdate=15 July 2020}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

| predecessor4 = Gillian Lucky

| successor4 = Errol McLeod

| office5 = Minister of Legal Affairs

| term_start5 = 14 May 2005

| term_end5 = 7 November 2007

| primeminister5 = Patrick Manning

| predecessor5 = Peter Taylor

| successor5 = Prakash Ramadhar

| office6 = Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister (Social Services Delivery)

| term_start6 = 15 October 2002

| term_end6 = 13 May 2005

| primeminister6 = Patrick Manning

| predecessor6 = Position established

| successor6 = Position abolished

| office7 = Vice-President of the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago

| term_start7 = 5 April 2002

| term_end7 = 28 August 2002

| 1blankname7 = Senate President

| 1namedata7 = Linda Baboolal

| predecessor7 = Wade Mark

| successor7 = Rawle Titus

| office8 = Opposition Senator

| term_start8 = 12 January 2001

| term_end8 = 13 October 2001

| predecessor8 =

| successor8 =

| party = Independent (2015–present){{efn|Kangaloo was elected senate president and president under the nomination of the PNM. She resigned her party membership prior to taking office.{{cite news |last1=Webb |first1=Yvonne |title=Attorney Kerwyn Garcia on life with presidential nominee: 'I'm always Mr Christine Kangaloo' - Trinidad and Tobago Newsday |url=https://newsday.co.tt/2023/01/08/attorney-kerwyn-garcia-on-life-with-presidential-nominee-im-always-mr-christine-kangaloo/ |access-date=21 January 2023 |work=newsday.co.tt |date=8 January 2023}}}}

| otherparty = People's National Movement (2001–2015)

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1961|12|01}}{{Cite web|url=https://otp.tt/the-president/thepresident/|title=The President | The Office of the President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago}}

| birth_place = San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies Federation, British Empire

| alma_mater = {{plainlist|

}}

| profession = {{hlist|Politician|lawyer}}

| signature =

| spouse = {{marriage|Kerwyn Garcia|1998}}

}}

Christine Carla Kangaloo {{post-nominals|list=ORTT}} (born 1 December 1961){{cite news |title=FROM RED HOUSE TO PRESIDENT'S HOUSE |url=https://trinidadexpress.com/news/local/from-red-house-to-president-s-house/article_780064d4-8e30-11ed-aa20-0360332a3440.html |first=Ria |last=Taitt|date=7 January 2023|access-date=22 January 2023 |work=Trinidad Express Newspapers |language=en}} is a Trinidadian politician and lawyer, who has been the 7th president of Trinidad and Tobago since 2023.

Biography

Christine Kangaloo was born into a Presbyterian Indo-Trinidadian family to Carlyle and Barbara Kangaloo and she is the fifth of their seven children.{{cite web | url=https://www.guardian.co.tt/news/her-christian-faith-6.2.1614975.f38ea10a60 | title='Her Christian faith }}Mc Letchie, Alison (2013), [https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2934&context=etd "The Parasitic Oligarchy? The Elites in Trinidad and Tobago"]. (Doctoral dissertation). In 2018, she and her husband converted to Roman Catholicism.{{cite web | url=https://trinidadexpress.com/news/local/president-elect-christine-kangaloo-i-wont-isolate-myself/article_ca6d1400-c603-11ed-b1db-77ede7e722ef.amp.html | title=President-elect Christine Kangaloo: I won't isolate myself | date=19 March 2023 }} She graduated from the University of the West Indies and Hugh Wooding Law School and with a degree in law.

Political Career

On 12 January 2001, she first became a member of parliament as an opposition senator under the tenure of Opposition Leader Patrick Manning.{{cite news |title=Kangaloo to act as President of Trinidad & Tobago |website=Trinidad and Tobago Government News |url=http://www.news.gov.tt/content/kangaloo-act-president-trinidad-tobag |accessdate=15 July 2020 }}{{Dead link|date=July 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} She then served as Vice President of the Senate and subsequently Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister in 2002. She was then appointed Minister of Legal Affairs in 2005.{{cite news |title=The Trinidad Guardian -Online Edition Ver 2.0 |url=http://legacy.guardian.co.tt/archives/2005-05-15/news3.html |work=Trinidad and Tobago Guardian |accessdate=15 July 2020 |archive-date=17 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200717234739/http://legacy.guardian.co.tt/archives/2005-05-15/news3.html |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |title=The Trinidad Guardian -Online Edition Ver 2.0 |url=http://legacy.guardian.co.tt/archives/2007-10-20/news5.html |work=Trinidad and Tobago Guardian |accessdate=15 July 2020 |archive-date=15 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715150939/http://legacy.guardian.co.tt/archives/2007-10-20/news5.html |url-status=dead }} In the 2007 Trinidad and Tobago general election, she was elected to the House of Representatives as the People's National Movement (PNM) candidate for Pointe-à-Pierre and served as the Minister of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education.{{cite news |last1=Lord |first1=Richard |title=?PM: Two elections coming this year |url=http://www.guardian.co.tt/article-6.2.332638.79a5a1be25 |work=Trinidad and Tobago Guardian |language=en |accessdate=15 July 2020}}{{cite news |title=Battle over Marabella sports ground |url=https://archives.newsday.co.tt/2008/03/05/battle-over-marabella-sports-ground/ |newspaper=Trinidad and Tobago Newsdday|date=5 March 2008|access-date=15 July 2020}} On 23 September 2015 she was elected as President of the Senate.{{cite web |title=T&T Guardian |url=https://www.facebook.com/TTGuardian/photos/a.87957863066/10153157781038067/?type=3&theater |via=Facebook |language=en |accessdate=15 July 2020}}

She was president of the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago from 2015 until her resignation to run for president in 2023. She is the only person to serve as both President and Vice President of the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago, the first woman to serve as Senate Vice President and third woman to serve as acting President of Trinidad and Tobago and Senate President. She became the second woman to serve as President of Trinidad and Tobago upon her assumption of office on 20 March 2023.{{cite web |title=Trinidad and Tobago Parliament |url=http://www.ttparliament.org/officers.php?mid=72 |publisher=Trinidad and Tobago Parliament |accessdate=15 July 2020 |archive-date=1 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180401114510/http://www.ttparliament.org/officers.php?mid=72 |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |title=96.1 WEFM |url=https://www.facebook.com/961wefm/photos/senate-president-christine-kangaloo-was-sworn-in-as-acting-president-of-trinidad/10153429402028681/ |via=Facebook |language=en |accessdate=15 July 2020}}{{cite web |title=Photos of the Day: President Inauguration |date=21 March 2023 |url=https://newsday.co.tt/2023/03/20/photo-of-the-day-president-inauguration/ |publisher=Trinidad and Tobago Newsday |accessdate=24 March 2023}}

Kangaloo has served as an Opposition Senator, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, Minister of Legal Affairs and Minister of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education{{cite news |title=More places for T&T law students at St Augustine campus |url=http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/more-places-for-tt-law-students-at-st-augustine-campus-6.2.328205.143ee33358 |work=Trinidad and Tobago Guardian |language=en |accessdate=15 July 2020}} in previous People's National Movement governments.{{cite web |title=Trinidad and Tobago Parliament |url=http://www.ttparliament.org/members.php?mid=55&id=CKA01 |publisher=Trinidad and Tobago Parliament |accessdate=15 July 2020}}

Notes

References

External links

[http://ttparliament.org/members.php?mid=55&id=CKA01 Parliamentary Profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005100904/http://www.ttparliament.org/members.php?mid=55&id=CKA01 |date=5 October 2015 }}, Trinidad and Tobago Parliament website

{{s-ttl|title=Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister (Social Services Delivery)|years=2002–2005}}

{{s-ttl|title=Minister of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education|years=2007–2010}}

{{s-ttl|title=President of the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago|years=2015–2023}}

{{s-ttl|title=President of Trinidad and Tobago|years=2023–present}}

Category:1961 births

Category:Living people

Category:Presidents of Trinidad and Tobago

Category:Members of the Senate (Trinidad and Tobago)

Category:Members of the House of Representatives (Trinidad and Tobago)

Category:Trinidad and Tobago politicians of Indian descent

Category:Women government ministers of Trinidad and Tobago

Category:Trinidad and Tobago women lawyers