Wade Mark is Speaker of House of Representatives

Wade Mark is not returning to the Senate; instead he will hold the prestigious post of Speaker of the House of Representatives in the 10th Parliament, which convenes on June 14.

MP for Barataria/San Juan will be the Deputy Speaker.

The other top Parliamentary post - President of the Senate - will be held by attorney Timothy Hamel-Smith, a member of the Congress of the People (COP) and Trade Unionist David Abdullah of the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) will be Deputy Senate President.

Hamel-Smith will act as President in the absence of the country's President.

It's an entirely new role for Mark, who has served in the Senate for more than a decade. He first became a Senator when he was appointed to the cabinet in the 1995-2000 UNC administration. And in opposition he has held the post of Senate leader.

These appointments - along with others previous announced, including a diplomatic role for NJAC leader Makandal Daaga - show an equitable distribuition of reponsibilities to the various members of the People's Partnership, which includes the UNC, which is headed by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, the Congress of the People (COP), NJAC, the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) and the Tobago Organization of the People.