Prime Minister of Jamaica

Last updated

Prime Minister of Jamaica
Coat of arms of Jamaica.svg
Flag of the Prime Minister of Jamaica.svg
Standard of the prime minister of Jamaica
Andrew Holness Press (cropped).jpg
Incumbent
Andrew Holness
since 3 March 2016
Style The Most Honourable
Member of Cabinet
Residence Vale Royal (Jamaica)
Appointer Governor-General
Term length no term limits
5 years
Formation6 August 1962 Jamaica
Deputy Deputy Prime Minister
Salary J$9,160,000 annually [1]
Website www.opm.jm

The prime minister of Jamaica (Jamaican Patois : Praim Minista a Jumieka) is Jamaica's head of government, currently Andrew Holness. Holness, as leader of the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), was sworn in as prime minister on 7 September 2020, having been re-elected as a result of the JLP's landslide victory in the 2020 Jamaican general election. [2]

Contents

The prime minister is formally appointed into office by the governor general, who represents King Charles III.

Official residence and office

Front Lawns of Vale Royal Valeroyal.jpg
Front Lawns of Vale Royal

The prime minister of Jamaica's official residence is Vale Royal. The property was constructed in 1694 by the planter Sir William Taylor, who was one of the richest men in Jamaica at the time. In 1928 the property was sold to the government and became the official residence of the British colonial secretary (then Sir Reginald Edward Stubbs). Vale Royal has subsequently become the official residence of the prime minister. [3] Vale Royal is not open to the public.

Jamaica House has been the location of the Office of the Prime Minister since 1972. [4] Prime ministers resided there from 1964 until 1980. [4] On 8 November 2022, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said in question time that his official residence was Jamaica House rather than Vale Royal, and that that Vale Royal was currently in disrepair and possible future uses would be considered after its restoration. [5]

Chief ministers of Jamaica (1953–1959)

No.PortraitChief Minister
(Birth–Death)
Term of officePolitical partyElection
Took officeLeft officeTime in office
1
Prime Minister of Jamaica, Sir Alexander Bustamante (04) (cropped).jpg
Sir Alexander Bustamante
(1884–1977)
5 May 19532 February 19551 year, 273 days JLP
2
No image.png
Norman Manley
(1893–1969)
2 February 195514 August 19594 years, 193 days PNP 1955

Premiers of Jamaica (1959–1962)

No.PortraitPremier
(Birth–Death)
Term of officePolitical partyElection
Took officeLeft officeTime in office
1
No image.png
Norman Manley
(1893–1969)
14 August 195929 April 19622 years, 258 days PNP 1959
2
Prime Minister of Jamaica, Sir Alexander Bustamante (04) (cropped).jpg
Sir Alexander Bustamante
(1884–1977)
29 April 19626 August 196299 days JLP 1962

Prime ministers of Jamaica (1962–present)

Key: Died in office

No.PortraitPrime Minister
(Birth–Death)
Term of officePolitical partyElection
Took officeLeft officeTime in office
1
Prime Minister of Jamaica, Sir Alexander Bustamante (04) (cropped).jpg
Sir Alexander Bustamante
(1884–1977)
6 August 196223 February 19674 years, 201 days JLP 1962
2
No image.png
Sir Donald Sangster
(1911–1967)
23 February 196711 April 1967 47 days JLP 1967
3
Hugh Shearer.png
Hugh Shearer
(1923–2004)
11 April 19672 March 19724 years, 326 days JLP
4
Michael Manley.jpg
Michael Manley
(1924–1997)
2 March 19721 November 19808 years, 244 days PNP 1972
1976
5
Edward Seaga.png
Edward Seaga
(1930–2019)
1 November 198010 February 19898 years, 101 days JLP 1980
1983
6
Michael Manley.jpg
Michael Manley
(1924–1997)
10 February 198930 March 19923 years, 49 days PNP 1989
7
PJPatterson.jpg
P. J. Patterson
(born 1935)
30 March 199230 March 200614 years, 0 days PNP 1993
1997
2002
8
Portia Miller Shoot.Jpeg
Portia Simpson-Miller
(born 1945)
30 March 200611 September 20071 year, 165 days PNP
9
Bruce Golding.jpg
Bruce Golding
(born 1947)
11 September 200723 October 20114 years, 42 days JLP 2007
10
Andrew Holness Press (cropped).jpg
Andrew Holness
(born 1972)
23 October 20115 January 201274 days JLP
11
Portia Miller Shoot.Jpeg
Portia Simpson-Miller
(born 1945)
5 January 20123 March 20164 years, 58 days PNP 2011
12
Andrew Holness Press (cropped).jpg
Andrew Holness
(born 1972)
3 March 2016Incumbent7 years, 347 days JLP 2016
2020

By tenure

Rank by
length
of terms
Prime MinisterTook officeLeft officeLength by
time served
AdministrationsElectedPolitical affiliation
1 P. J. Patterson 30 March 199230 March 200614 years1 1993
1997
2002
People's National Party
2 Michael Manley 2 March 1972
10 February 1989
1 November 1980
30 March 1992
11 years, 292 days
(8 years, 244 days;
3 years, 48 days)
2 1972
1976
1989
People's National Party
3 Edward Seaga 1 November 198010 February 19898 years, 101 days1 1980
1983
Jamaica Labour Party
4 Andrew Holness
(incumbent)
23 October 2011
3 March 2016
5 January 2012
present
8 years, 55 days
(74 days;
7 years, 347 days)
2 2016
2020
Jamaica Labour Party
5 Portia Simpson Miller 30 March 2006
5 January 2012
11 September 2007
3 March 2016
5 years, 223 days
(1 year, 165 days;
4 years, 58 days)
2 2011 People's National Party
6 Hugh Shearer 11 April 19672 March 19724 years, 326 days1 Jamaica Labour Party
7 Alexander Bustamante 29 April 196223 February 19674 years, 201 days1 1962 Jamaica Labour Party
8 Bruce Golding 11 September 200723 October 20114 years, 42 days1 2007 Jamaica Labour Party
9 Donald Sangster 23 February 196711 April 196747 days1 1967 Jamaica Labour Party

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Jamaica</span> Political system of Jamaica

Politics in Jamaica takes place in the framework of a representative parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The 1962 Constitution of Jamaica established a parliamentary system whose political and legal traditions closely follow those of the United Kingdom. As the head of state, King Charles III - on the advice of the Prime Minister of Jamaica - appoints a governor-general as his representative in Jamaica. The governor-general has a largely ceremonial role. Jamaica constitutes an independent Commonwealth realm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prime Minister of Australia</span> Head of government of Australia

The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister heads the executive branch of the federal government of Australia and is accountable to federal parliament under the principles of responsible government. The prime minister is the chair of the federal cabinet and the national cabinet and a member of the federal executive council. The current prime minister is Anthony Albanese of the Australian Labor Party, who assumed the office on 23 May 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prime Minister of Canada</span> Head of government of Canada

The prime minister of Canada is the head of government of Canada. Not outlined in any constitutional document, the office exists only per long-established convention. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the confidence of a majority of the elected House of Commons; as such, the prime minister typically sits as a member of Parliament (MP) and leads the largest party or a coalition of parties. The prime minister is appointed by the monarch's representative, the governor general, and, as first minister, selects other ministers to form the Cabinet and chairs it. Constitutionally, executive authority is vested in the monarch, but, in practice, the powers of the monarch and governor general are nearly always exercised on the advice of the Cabinet, which is collectively responsible to the House of Commons. Canadian prime ministers are appointed to the Privy Council and styled as the Right Honourable, a privilege maintained for life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Bustamante</span> Jamaican politician and labour leader

Sir William Alexander Clarke Bustamante was a Jamaican politician and labour leader, who, in 1962, became the first prime minister of Jamaica.

The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) is one of the two major political parties in Jamaica, the other being the People's National Party (PNP). While its name might suggest that it is a social democratic party, the JLP is actually a conservative party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Governor-General of Jamaica</span> Representative of the monarch of Jamaica

The governor-general of Jamaica is the representative of the Jamaican monarch, currently King Charles III, in Jamaica. The governor-general is appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister of Jamaica. The functions of the governor-general include appointing ministers, judges, and ambassadors; giving royal assent to legislation passed by parliament; issuing writs for election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King's Privy Council for Canada</span> Body of advisers to the monarch of Canada

The King's Privy Council for Canada, sometimes called His Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council (PC), is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs. Practically, the tenets of responsible government require the sovereign or his viceroy, the governor general of Canada, to almost always follow only that advice tendered by the Cabinet: a committee within the Privy Council composed usually of elected members of Parliament. Those summoned to the KPC are appointed for life by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister of Canada, meaning that the group is composed predominantly of former Cabinet ministers, with some others having been inducted as an honorary gesture. Those in the council are accorded the use of an honorific style and post-nominal letters, as well as various signifiers of precedence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald Sangster</span> Jamaican politician

Sir Donald Burns Sangster ON GCVO was a Jamaican solicitor and politician, and the second Prime Minister of Jamaica.

An official residence is the residence of a head of state, head of government, governor, religious leader, leaders of international organizations, or other senior figure. It may be the same place where they conduct their work-related functions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portia Simpson-Miller</span> Former Prime Minister of Jamaica

Portia Lucretia Simpson-Miller is a Jamaican former politician. She served as Prime Minister of Jamaica from March 2006 to September 2007 and again from 5 January 2012 to 3 March 2016. She was the leader of the People's National Party from 2005 to 2017 and the Leader of the Opposition twice, from 2007 to 2012 and from 2016 to 2017.

The Jamaican order of precedence is as follows:

  1. Charles III, King of Jamaica
  2. Governor-General of Jamaica
  3. Prime Minister of Jamaica
  4. Deputy Prime Minister of Jamaica
  5. Leader of the Opposition
<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monarchy of Jamaica</span> Form of government in Jamaica

The monarchy of Jamaica is a system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of Jamaica. The current Jamaican monarch and head of state, since 8 September 2022, is King Charles III. As sovereign, he is the personal embodiment of the Jamaican Crown. Although the person of the sovereign is equally shared with 14 other independent countries within the Commonwealth of Nations, each country's monarchy is separate and legally distinct. As a result, the current monarch is officially titled King of Jamaica and, in this capacity, he and other members of the royal family undertake public and private functions domestically and abroad as representatives of the Jamaican state. However, the monarch is the only member of the royal family with any constitutional role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cabinet of Jamaica</span> Executive organizations of Jamaica

The Cabinet of Jamaica is the ultimate decision-making body of the executive within the Westminster system of government in traditional constitutional theory. The Cabinet of Jamaica is the principal instrument of government policy. It consists of the Prime Minister, and a minimum of thirteen other Ministers of Government, who must be members of one of the two Houses of Parliament. Not more than four members of the Cabinet may be members of the Senate. The Minister of Finance must be an elected member of the House of Representatives. The Shadow Cabinet of Jamaica is seen as the alternative to the Cabinet of Jamaica, led by the Leader of the Opposition (Jamaica), and is charged with fairly criticizing and providing alternative policy to that proposed by the Government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Holness</span> Prime Minister of Jamaica (born 1972)

Andrew Michael Holness, is a Jamaican politician, who has been the prime minister of Jamaica since 3 March 2016, following the 2016 Jamaican general election. He is leader of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). Holness previously served as prime minister from 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. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Jamaican general election</span>

General elections were held in Jamaica on 25 February 2016. The elections were largely a contest between the governing People's National Party (PNP) and the opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). The result was a narrow victory for the JLP, which won 32 of the 63 seats. One political commentator described the poll as "the closest election Jamaica has ever had".

Peter Phillips OJ MP is a Jamaican politician who is currently the MP for Saint Andrew East Central.

The Honourable or The Honorable is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certain people, usually with official governmental or diplomatic positions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Jamaican general election</span> Election in Jamaica

General elections were held in Jamaica on Thursday, 3 September 2020 to elect 63 members of Parliament. As the constitution stipulates a five-year parliamentary term, the next elections were not expected until between 25 February and 10 June 2021. However, Prime Minister Andrew Holness called early elections to ensure a united response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. On the advice of Holness, Governor General Patrick Allen dissolved Parliament on 13 August 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republicanism in Jamaica</span> Movement to turn Jamaica into a republic

Republicanism in Jamaica is a position which advocates that Jamaica's system of government be changed from a constitutional monarchy to a republic. Both major political parties – the Jamaica Labour Party and the People's National Party – subscribe to the position, and the current Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, has announced that transitioning to a republic will be a priority of his government. In June 2022, the Jamaican government announced its intention that Jamaica become a republic by the time of the next general election in 2025. The process will include a two-thirds majority vote in parliament along with a referendum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vale Royal (Jamaica)</span> Building in Kingston, government residence of Jamaica

Vale Royal is the official residence of the prime minister of Jamaica. It is located on Montrose Road in Kingston 10, Jamaica.

References

  1. "Earnings By Politicians And What They Take Home". rjrnewsonline.com.
  2. JLP Wins Second Term. 3 September 2020. Accessed 5 September 2020.
  3. "Vale Royal – Office of the Prime Minister".
  4. 1 2 "Jamaica House". Office of the Prime Minister. A Brief History, In Residence, Offices. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  5. Public Broadcasting Corporation of Jamaica [@pbcjamaica] (8 November 2022). "Questions to the Prime Minister" (Tweet) via Twitter.