President of Trinidad and Tobago - Wikipedia President of Trinidad and Tobago This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( March 2018 ) President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Presidential standard Incumbent Paula - Mae Weekes since 19 March 2018 Residence President 's House Appointer Electoral college consisting of all of the members of the Senate and House of Representatives Term length Five years, renewable indefinitely Constituting instrument Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago Precursor Queen of Trinidad and Tobago Inaugural holder Sir Ellis Clarke Formation 24 September 1976 Salary $54,600 ( 1976 ) Website www.otp.tt Trinidad and Tobago This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Trinidad and Tobago Government President ( list ) Paula - Mae Weekes Prime Minister Keith Rowley Parliament Senate House of Representatives Leader of the Opposition Kamla Persad - Bissessar Judiciary Supreme Court Chief Justice : Ivor Archie Court of Appeal High Court Magistracy Family Court Privy Council committee ( UK ) Elections Recent elections General : 2002 2007 2015 Political parties Local government Administrative divisions Former counties Tobago House of Assembly Foreign relations Minister of Foreign Affairs Diplomatic missions of Trinidad and Tobago to Trinidad and Tobago Passport Visa requirements Other countries Atlas The President of Trinidad and Tobago is the head of state of Trinidad and Tobago and the commander - in - chief of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force. The office was established when the country became a republic in 1976, before which the head of state was Queen Elizabeth II. The last Governor - General, Sir Ellis Clarke, was sworn in as the first President on 1 August 1976 under a transitional arrangement. He was formally chosen as President by an electoral college consisting of members of both houses of Parliament on 24 September 1976, which is now celebrated as Republic Day. Under the 1976 constitution, the President is the nominal source of executive power. Like the British Sovereign ( and heads of state in other Westminster systems ), he or she `` reigns but does not rule ''. In practice, executive authority is exercised by the Prime Minister and his or her cabinet, on behalf of the President. The President appoints as Prime Minister the leader of the largest party in the House of Representatives, and also appoints members of the Senate on the recommendation of the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. The President must be at least 35 years old ( although no President has been younger than 59 ), a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago, and at the time of nomination must have been resident in the country for an unbroken period of ten years. The current President of Trinidad and Tobago is Paula - Mae Weekes. The official residence of the President is President 's House, previously known as Government House when it was used by the Governors - General and Governors of the islands. See also First Ladies and Gentlemen of Trinidad and Tobago List of Governors of Trinidad and Tobago List of heads of state of Trinidad and Tobago List of Prime Ministers of Trinidad and Tobago References Jump up ^ http://laws.gov.tt/ttdll-web/revision/download/26884?type=act External links The Office of the President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago articles History Spanish missions French invasion of Tobago ( 1781 ) British invasion of Trinidad ( 1797 ) Independence Act Social unrest Geography Cities and towns Dry forests Natural history Islands Rivers Wildlife Politics Administrative divisions Attorney General Chief Justice Elections Foreign relations Head of State Human rights Military Parliament Politics Political parties President Prime Minister Economy Dollar ( currency ) Telecommunications Transportation Society Crime Demographics LGBT Women Education Health Religion Culture Cuisine Flag Literature Media Music Public holidays Outline Index Book Portal Heads of State of Trinidad and Tobago Queen ( 1962 -- 1976 ) Elizabeth II President ( from 1976 ) Clarke Hassanali Robinson Richards Carmona Weekes Heads of state and government of North America Heads of state Sovereign states Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States Heads of government Sovereign states Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States This government - related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. This Trinidad and Tobago article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=President_of_Trinidad_and_Tobago&oldid=831512872 '' Categories : Presidents of Trinidad and Tobago Government of Trinidad and Tobago Government stubs Trinidad and Tobago stubs Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from March 2018 All articles needing additional references All stub articles Talk About Wikipedia Eesti Español Italiano Lietuvių 日本 語 Yorùbá 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 20 March 2018, at 23 : 39. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who elects the president of trinidad and tobago
Answer: an electoral college consisting of members of both houses of Parliament