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FORMER foreign affairs and Caricom minister Dr Amery Browne took his place at the head of the opposition Senate bench at the ceremonial opening of Parliament of May 23. He had previously served as Diego Martin Central MP in the last Patrick Manning administration and withdrew his nomination to vie to be PNM candidate for Diego Martin West for the April 28 general election.

Veteran attorney Darrell Allahar – who is a minister in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) – faced off from Browne and sat as the leader of government business in the Senate.

Also manning the opposition Senate benches were three other former ministers from the previous Dr Keith Rowley administration: former local government minister Faris Al-Rawi, former youth development minister Foster Cummings and former finance minister Vishnu Dhanpaul. The two other members of the opposition bench were attorneys Janelle John-Bates and Melanie Roberts-Radgman, the latter from Tobago.