Andrew Holness
![]() |
Andrew Holness | |
---|---|
![]() Holness in 2020 | |
9th Prime Minister of Jamaica | |
Assumed office 3 March 2016 | |
Monarchs | Elizabeth II Charles III |
Deputy | Horace Chang |
Governor-General | Sir Patrick Allen |
Preceded by | Portia Simpson-Miller |
In office 23 October 2011 – 5 January 2012 | |
Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Deputy | Kenneth Baugh |
Governor-General | Sir Patrick Allen |
Preceded by | Bruce Golding |
Succeeded by | Portia Simpson-Miller |
Leader of the Opposition | |
In office 5 January 2012 – 3 March 2016 | |
Prime Minister | Portia Simpson-Miller |
Preceded by | Portia Simpson-Miller |
Succeeded by | Portia Simpson-Miller |
Leader of the Jamaica Labour Party | |
Assumed office 20 November 2011 | |
Preceded by | Bruce Golding |
Minister of Education | |
In office 11 September 2007 – 1 January 2012 | |
Prime Minister | Bruce Golding Himself |
Preceded by | Maxine Henry-Wilson |
Succeeded by | Ronald Thwaites |
Personal details | |
Born | Andrew Michael Holness 22 July 1972 Spanish Town, St. Catherine, Jamaica |
Political party | Jamaica Labour Party |
Spouse | |
Children | 2 |
Education | St. Catherine High School |
Alma mater | University of the West Indies |
Andrew Michael Holness, ON PC (born 22 July 1972) is a Jamaican politician who has served as Prime Minister of Jamaica since 3 March 2016, having previously served from 2011 to 2012, and as Leader of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) since 2011.
Holness previously served as prime minister from 23 October 2011 to 5 January 2012. He succeeded Bruce Golding as prime minister, and decided to go to the polls in the 29 December 2011 general election in an attempt to get his own mandate from the Jamaican electorate. He failed in that bid, however, losing to the People's National Party led by Portia Simpson-Miller, with the PNP gaining 42 seats to the JLP's 21. Following that defeat, Holness served as Leader of the Opposition from January 2012 to March 2016, when he once again assumed the position of prime minister.[1] In 2020, the Labour Party won a landslide in another general election, and on 7 September Holness was sworn in for another term as prime minister.[2]
In October 2011, at the age of 39, Holness became the youngest person ever to be prime minister in Jamaica's history. In March 2016, aged 43, he became the youngest to ever be elected prime minister. He is also the first prime minister to have been born after Jamaica gained independence in 1962. He is currently the longest serving prime minister from the Jamaica Labour Party.[3]
Early life and education
[edit]In 1997, Holness described his father as "a thinker and an academic socialist" and his mother as "pragmatic and frugal."[4]
Holness graduated St. Catherine High School, where he was head boy, before teaching there for a year. At the age of 19, he attended the University of the West Indies, Mona, where he studied management and economics.[4][5]
After completing his undergraduate degree, Holness worked at the Voluntary Organization for Uplifting Children (VOUCH) from 1994 to 1996. In that time, he also studied for a master's degree in economics.[5]
He then joined the Premium Group of Companies, acting as a special assistant to Edward Seaga and financial manager.[6]
Political career
[edit]Holness was first elected to the Jamaican parliament in the 1997 general election as the member of parliament for West Central St. Andrew, representing the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).
The election in the constituency was, principally, between Holness and Warren Blake, representing the People's National Party (PNP). The initial result was very close, although by the end Holness was declared the victor. The PNP lodged allegations of tampering with the Constituted Authority, part of the electoral regulation system in Jamaica.[5] Holness was sworn in as member of parliament on 24 February 1998, delayed by a magisterial recount. On 5 March 1998, he lost the seat, as the Election Court had ordered a re-election.[7] In April, Blake won the re-election, but due to irregularities in a group of four polling stations at Taylor Basic School, the JLP lodged allegations with the Constituted Authority, who agreed to run a re-election in those polling stations.[8] In the ensuing re-election, Holness won, and he was sworn in a second time as MP in July 1998.[9]
In 1997, he became a member of parliament for West Central St. Andrew and served as Opposition Spokesperson on Land and Development from 1999 to 2002. In 2002, he switched portfolio to Housing and then Education in 2005. He was sworn in as Minister of Education in September 2007.
Prime Minister of Jamaica
[edit]He succeeded Bruce Golding as both leader of the JLP and prime minister on 23 October 2011, making him the ninth person to hold the office. As prime minister, he chose to retain the education portfolio. In February 2023, a commission cleared him of corruption allegations of which he was accused.[10]
2011 elections
[edit]On 5 December 2011, Holness called an election set for 29 December 2011. The JLP campaigned in its strongholds, and Holness highlighted the accomplishments during the four years of JLP government, such as economic growth and crime reduction, which the JLP said the PNP failed to do during its own eighteen years' rule of the country.
The JLP, however, lost the election to the PNP, which gained a large majority of 42 to the JLP's 21 parliamentary seats. Portia Simpson-Miller and the PNP returned to power. The voter turnout was 53.17%.[11]
2016 elections and re-appointment as Prime Minister
[edit]On 25 February 2016, the JLP won the 2016 election winning 32 seats compared to 31 seats for the incumbent PNP. His wife Juliet also won a seat in parliament, the first time a prime minister or opposition leader and their spouse sat simultaneously in the Parliament of Jamaica.[12] As a result, Simpson-Miller became Opposition Leader for a second time. The voter turnout dipped below 50% for the first time, registering just 48.37%.[13]
2020 elections
[edit]On 3 September 2020, Holness led the JLP to a second consecutive general election victory, but this time by a much larger margin. The JLP won 49 seats, as compared to the 14 seats for the PNP. However, the turnout was just 37%, probably affected by the coronavirus pandemic. With this victory, he became the youngest person in Jamaica's history to be elected twice.[14] He was sworn in for another term on 7 September 2020.[15][16][17]
Republicanism
[edit]During the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's tour of Jamaica in March 2022, on behalf of the Jamaican monarch,[18] Queen Elizabeth II, and as part of the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of her accession, Holness told the royal couple that their nation was "moving on and we intend to attain in short order our development goals and fulfil our true ambitions as an independent, developed, prosperous country".[19]
Personal life
[edit]In 1997 he married Juliet Holness (née Landell), an accountant, whom he had met as a student at St. Catherine High School during the 1980s.[20][21] The couple have two children, Adam and Matthew.[22]
He is a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.[23]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8b/Secretary_Blinken_Meets_with_Jamaican_Prime_Minister_Holness_%2851975508813%29.jpg/220px-Secretary_Blinken_Meets_with_Jamaican_Prime_Minister_Holness_%2851975508813%29.jpg)
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![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/President_Trump_and_First_Lady_Melania_Trump_Meets_with_Caribbean_Leaders_%2832502633967%29.jpg/220px-President_Trump_and_First_Lady_Melania_Trump_Meets_with_Caribbean_Leaders_%2832502633967%29.jpg)
Honours
[edit]National honours
[edit]Jamaica:
Member of the Order of the Nation[24]
Foreign honours
[edit]Dominican Republic:
Grand Cross with Gold Breast Star of the Order of Merit of Duarte, Sánchez and Mella[25]
United Kingdom:
- 26 May 2021: Member of His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council (PC)[26]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Journey Begins - Portia Sworn In". Archived from the original on 7 January 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
- ^ "Holness to be sworn in as prime minister on Monday afternoon". www.loopjamaica.com. Archived from the original on 10 September 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ^ Robinson, Claude (23 October 2011). "When Andrew Holness becomes prime minister today". Jamaica Observer. Archived from the original on 7 April 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
- ^ a b "Andrew Holness - youngest man in the polls". The Daily Gleaner. 8 December 1997. p. 40.
- ^ a b c "JLP gets another seat". The Daily Gleaner. 29 December 1997. p. 1.
- ^ "JLP Candidate". The Daily Gleaner. 24 October 1997. p. 10.
- ^ "March 26 for re-election". The Daily Gleaner. 10 March 1998. p. 1.
- ^ "Re-election of the re-election?". The Daily Gleaner. 8 April 1998. p. 1.
- ^ "Holness wins, again!". The Daily Gleaner. 1 July 1998. p. 1.
- ^ "Jamaica PM will not face corruption charges - watchdog". Reuters. 16 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
- ^ Caribbean Elections: Jamaican Election Centre, "Jamaican general election results 29 December 2011" http://www.caribbeanelections.com/jm/elections/jm_results_2011.asp Archived 8 December 2020 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ "Juliet joins husband Andrew in Parliament - News". JamaicaObserver.com. 26 February 2016. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
- ^ Caribbean Elections: Jamaican Election Centre, "Jamaican general election results 25 February 2016" http://www.caribbeanelections.com/jm/elections/jm_results_2016.asp Archived 31 July 2020 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ Charles, Jacqueline (3 September 2020). "Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Jamaica Labor Party retain power in 'tsunami victory'". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on 5 September 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ "Swearing in ceremony for Holness set for Monday". jamaica-star.com. 5 September 2020. Archived from the original on 6 September 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
- ^ "Holness to be sworn in as prime minister on Monday afternoon". www.loopjamaica.com. Archived from the original on 10 September 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ "WATCH: Holness sworn in as prime minister for a third time". Loop News Jamaica. 7 September 2020. Archived from the original on 10 September 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
- ^ "Full Text—Prince William expresses profound sorrow for slavery", The Gleaner, 23 March 2022, retrieved 19 August 2022
- ^ Gentleman, Amelia; Wolfe-Robinson, Maya; Chappell, Kate (23 March 2022). "Jamaica's PM tells Kate and William his country is 'moving on'". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
- ^ Husey-Whyte, Donna (13 November 2011). "The PM's wife Juliet Holness speaks of life, love and family". Jamaica Observer. Archived from the original on 25 January 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
- ^ Ellington, Barbara (20 November 2011). "Juliet Holness; Jamaica is safe in Andrew's hands". The Gleaner. Archived from the original on 2 December 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
- ^ "Mr. Andrew Michael Holness, M.P. Opposition Leader". Jamaica Information Service. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
- ^ "Andrew Holness 'sworn-in' as Jamaica's new Prime Minister – Dominica News Online". Dominicanewsonline.com. 24 October 2011. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
- ^ Andrew Holness appointed Prime Minister
- ^ PM Holness and Dominican Republic President conferred national honours
- ^ Tilbrook, Richard (26 May 2021). "ORDERS APPROVED AND BUSINESS TRANSACTED AT THE PRIVY COUNCIL HELD BY THE QUEEN AT WINDSOR CASTLE ON 26TH MAY 2021" (PDF). The Privy Council Office. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
External links
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- 1972 births
- Living people
- University of the West Indies alumni
- Education ministers of Jamaica
- Government ministers of Jamaica
- Jamaica Labour Party politicians
- Jamaican Seventh-day Adventists
- Recipients of the Order of the Nation
- Jamaican members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
- Members of the House of Representatives of Jamaica
- People from Spanish Town
- Prime ministers of Jamaica
- Jamaican republicans
- Members of the 14th Parliament of Jamaica
- 21st-century Jamaican politicians