Fabian Picardo | |
---|---|
Chief Minister of Gibraltar | |
Assumed office 9 December 2011 | |
Monarchs | Elizabeth II Charles III |
Governor | |
Preceded by | Sir Peter Caruana |
Leader of the Opposition | |
In office 20 April 2011 –9 December 2011 | |
Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Governor | Sir Adrian Johns |
Preceded by | Sir Joe Bossano |
Succeeded by | Sir Peter Caruana |
Leader of the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party | |
Assumed office 20 April 2011 | |
Preceded by | Sir Joe Bossano |
Member of the Parliament of Gibraltar | |
Assumed office 28 November 2003 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Gibraltar | 18 February 1972
Political party | Socialist Labour (since 2003) |
Other political affiliations | Liberal (1991–2003) |
Spouse | Justine Picardo (m. 2011;sep. 2023) |
Domestic partner | Anna Ella (2023-present) |
Children | Sebastian, Oliver, Valentina |
Alma mater | Oriel College, Oxford |
Signature | |
Website | Website |
Fabian Raymond Picardo (born 18 February 1972) is a Gibraltarian politician and barrister, serving as Chief Minister of Gibraltar and Leader of the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party since 2011. At the 2015 and 2019 Gibraltar general elections, Picardo was re-elected to two further four-year terms. He was narrowly re-elected for a fourth term in the 2023 Gibraltar general election.
Picardo attended the University of Oxford, where he studied legal theory. [1]
Picardo was born on 18 February 1972 in Gibraltar and grew up in the Upper Town area. He has said that the area where he grew up "always made me think about the huge potential that the bay of Gibraltar could have as long as we were able to work together with our Spanish neighbours." His father was a clerical worker for the Ministry of Defence on Gibraltar, and his mother was a personal assistant to Joshua Hassan, the founder of Hassans law firm and a Chief Minister of Gibraltar. Picardo has said that "My parents instilled in me the simple principle of equality, that nobody is better than anybody else and that we shouldn’t look down on absolutely anyone because all of us are created equal." [2] Picardo's grandmother was Spanish, although he has said that the Picardo line came to Gibraltar during the Napoleonic Wars and that he's "particularly proud of that part of [his] bloodline." [2]
Picardo first entertained the idea of becoming a lawyer as the "result of a discussion with a teacher, who I was particularly keen to argue with, who told me that if I wanted to argue I should charge people for it and become a lawyer." When aged 14, he visited Hassans law firm to discuss the idea with the lawyers. [2] From 1990 to 1993, Picardo studied jurisprudence at Oriel College, Oxford. [1] His studies were supported by the grant system introduced by Joe Bossano's Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party government in 1988. [2] Oriel College paid tribute to Picardo's election by flying the flag of Gibraltar, [3] and Picardo has also spoken at Oriel Law Society since his election. [1] [4] Picardo then studied at the Inns of Court School of Gray's Inn and was called to the bar by Middle Temple in 1994. [5] [6]
In September 1994, Picardo joined Hassans, the largest law firm in Gibraltar, as an associate. He became a partner in 2000. [7] He was appointed as a Queen's Counsel on 12 June 2014. [8]
Picardo was a co-founder of the Gibraltar National Party in 1991, the predecessor to the Liberal Party of Gibraltar. In 2003, he joined the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party (GSLP) and was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the GSLP in that year's general election. [9]
Picardo has described what made him interested in politics as a lawyer in Gibraltar: "I started to wake up to politics and see what Hassan had done, and I started to understand what Joe Bossano was doing. I realised that if I had the ability to become a lawyer then I should use that ability also in the interests of Gibraltar. Gibraltar is a place where all of us have to pull our weight; we all have to do what we can and I wanted to do what I could in politics." Picardo became the leader of the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party in 2011, taking over from Joe Bossano. He won the 2011 election, forming a coalition government with the Liberal Party. [2]
Picardo said that the "crowning achievements" of his first term were two new schools, a university, a new bank, and a new 700-berth marina. He also appointed Gibraltar's first Minister for Equalities and passed the Civil Partnerships Act in 2014, ending legal discrimination against same-sex couples. [10] In October 2015, he said that if Brexit took place, Gibraltar "would have to carefully reconsider what the economic prospects for Gibraltar are and how we would be positioned." [2]
In the 2015 election, the GSLP-Liberal Alliance under Picardo won a second term in office, defeating the Gibraltar Social Democrats led by then Leader of the Opposition Daniel Feetham.
In the 2019 election, the GSLP-Liberal Alliance once again under Picardo won a third term in office, defeating both the Gibraltar Social Democrats led by Leader of the Opposition Keith Azopardi and Together Gibraltar led by Marlene Hassan-Nahon.
In the 2023 election, the GLSP-Liberal Alliance won a fourth term in office under the leadership of Picardo. They once again defeated Leader of the Opposition Keith Azopardi and the Gibraltar Social Democrats but this time by a far narrower margin than 2019. The Alliance saw a 2.46pp decrease in their share of the popular vote and lost a seat to the GSD, resulting in a historic first for Gibraltar in which the Opposition held eight seats instead of the traditional seven. [11]
During the election campaign, Picardo stated that the 2023 election would be his last, and he plans to step down as Chief Minister of Gibraltar and Leader of the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party at some point throughout the 14th Parliament of Gibraltar. He also took the opportunity to suggest he would be in favour of Health Minister Gemma Arias Vasquez replacing him in both positions but noted that the party would ultimately select who succeeds him.
However, on 5th November 2024, he announced he will remain as Party Leader for the next general elections, subject to an uncontested AGM the week after.
Picardo was married to Justine Olivero from 2011 until they separated in 2023 (before 2011 and 2023 elections respectively). She also works for Hassans law firm, and together they had two sons and one daughter, Sebastian, Oliver and Valentina. [2] He is now currently dating Anna Ella, local interior designer, wedding planner and psychology student.
The Gibraltar Social Democrats (GSD) is a liberal-conservative, centre-right political party in Gibraltar. The GSD was the governing party for four successive terms in office under the leadership of Peter Caruana, from the 1996 general election until the party's electoral defeat in the 2011 election by the GSLP–Liberal Alliance.
The Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party (GSLP) is a social-democratic political party in Gibraltar. The GSLP is the oldest surviving active political party in Gibraltar. Its roots are based in the trade union movement, as its founder and former leader Joe Bossano was the District Officer of the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU). The party has been led since 2011 by Fabian Picardo, who has served as Chief Minister of Gibraltar since the 2011 general election. The GSLP forms the GSLP–Liberal Alliance in partnership with the Liberal Party of Gibraltar.
Daniel Anthony Feetham KC MP is a Gibraltarian lawyer and former politician who served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Gibraltar Social Democrats (GSD) from 2013 to 2017.
Sir Joseph John Bossano is a Gibraltarian politician who served as Chief Minister of Gibraltar from 1988 to 1996 and Leader of the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party from 1978 to 2011. He served as Leader of the Opposition from 1984 to 1988 and 1996 to 2011. He was first elected to the then Gibraltar House of Assembly in 1972 and is often referred to as the Father of the House for being the longest-serving parliamentarian in Gibraltar.
Dr Joseph John Andrew Garcia is a Gibraltarian historian and politician, and the current leader of the Liberal Party of Gibraltar (LPG) and Deputy Chief Minister of the Government of Gibraltar. The LPG holds two of the 17 seats in the Gibraltar Parliament after the 2023 general election and is in government with its political allies, the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party (GSLP).
Sir Joshua Abraham Hassan, nicknamed "Salvador" (Saviour), was a Gibraltarian politician, and first mayor and Chief Minister of Gibraltar, serving four terms as chief minister for a total of over 20 years. He is seen as the key figure in the civil rights movement in Gibraltar, and played a key role in the creation of the territory's institutions of self-government.
Adolfo John Canepa is a Gibraltarian politician. He has dedicated most of his life to politics and the development of Gibraltar, having served both as Leader of the Opposition and as Chief Minister of Gibraltar from 8 December 1987 to 25 March 1988. During this period he was also the leader of the Association for the Advancement of Civil Rights (AACR). He is a former Speaker of the Gibraltar Parliament.
General elections were held in Gibraltar on 11 October 2007. The incumbent Chief Minister Peter Caruana narrowly won a fourth term, but opposition leader Joe Bossano had a very strong showing. Joe Bossano noted that this would be his last term as an MP, and joked that he would not join the government, despite receiving a higher personal vote than some members of the Gibraltar Social Democrats (GSD).
Keith Azopardi is a Gibraltarian lawyer and politician serving as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Gibraltar Social Democrats since 2017.
The Hon. Gilbert Horace Licudi is a Gibraltarian barrister and legal partner at Hassans and former Minister (2011-2020) and former MP (2007-2023) of Gibraltar, member of the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party (GSLP). He is married and has two children.
The Hon. Paul John Balban is a former Gibraltarian politician, State Registered Dietitian and former taxi driver. He was first elected to the Gibraltar Parliament at the 2011 general elections and was a Gibraltar Government Minister until 12 October 2023, member of the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party (GSLP). He is married and has three daughters. On 15 September 2023, he announced that he and fellow party MPs and Ministers, Albert Isola and Samantha Sacramento, would not stand for re-election.
Damon James Bossino is a Gibraltarian barrister and Member of the Gibraltar Parliament representing the Gibraltar Social Democrats. He is married to Rosa Arrimadas from Spain with whom he has three children.
A by-election was held to the Gibraltar Parliament on 4 July 2013 to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Housing Minister Charles Bruzon in April 2013. The Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party (GSLP), Gibraltar Social Democrats (GSD), Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) and an independent contested the by-election. The Liberal Party of Gibraltar who is in alliance and in Government with the GSLP backed the GSLP's candidate.
Albert Joseph Isola is a Gibraltarian barrister and former politician, member of the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party (GSLP). He was a member of the Gibraltar House of Assembly as part of the Opposition between 1996 and 2000. He later became a Government Minister for Financial Services and Gaming after becoming elected to Parliament in the 2013 by-election. Isola is married and has four children. On 15 September 2023, it was announced that he and fellow party MPs and Ministers, Paul Balban and Samantha Sacramento, would not stand for re-election.
General elections were held in Gibraltar on 26 November 2015 to elect all 17 members to the third Gibraltar Parliament. Chief Minister Fabian Picardo announced the date of the election on Monday 19 October 2015 during a speech on the Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation.
General elections were held in Gibraltar on 26 January 1984. The Association for the Advancement of Civil Rights (AACR) administration of Joshua Hassan was re-elected for a further term.
General elections were held in Gibraltar on 17 October 2019 to elect all 17 members to the fourth Gibraltar Parliament. Chief Minister Fabian Picardo announced the date of the election on Monday 16 September 2019. In September 2019, it was announced that Libs MP and GSLP/Libs Minister, Neil Costa, would not seek re-election and had his candidacy and seat replaced by Vijay Daryanani of the same party.
The GSLP–Liberal Alliance is a centre-left political alliance active in Gibraltar consisting of the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party (GSLP) and Liberal Party of Gibraltar (LPG).
Maria Isabel Montegriffo, known as Mari Montegriffo was a Gibraltarian politician. She was a Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party member of the House of Assembly from 1984 to 2007, the first female Mayor of Gibraltar (1988–95), as well as the Minister of Medical Services and Health and the Minister of Sport in Joe Bossano's administration.
General elections were held in Gibraltar on 12 October 2023 to elect all 17 members of the fifth Gibraltar Parliament. This was the first election in Gibraltar's history to use an electronic voting count system. The GSLP–Liberal Alliance secured a fourth term in office, though it saw its majority reduced to one seat, whilst the GSD became the sole opposition party, gaining two seats.