Rochelle Forde (born 1974) [1] is a Saint Vincent and the Grenadines lawyer and politician who has been Speaker of the country's House of Assembly since November 2020.
Rochelle Forde (born 1974) [1] is a Saint Vincent and the Grenadines lawyer and politician who has been Speaker of the country's House of Assembly since November 2020.
Forde is a barrister and solicitor, completing her study at the Inns of Court School of Law in London. [2] She has been a legal advisor to various companies, as well as Deputy Chief Commissioner of the Girl Guides Association of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. [2]
Forde was first elected as a Senator for the Unity Labour Party in December 2005 and was elected Deputy Speaker. [3] She served in that role until 29 January 2010. [2] [4]
In 2018, Forde gave a speech at a rally for Grenada's opposition leader Nazim Burke, passing on "warm fraternal greetings" from Ralph Gonsalves, which some interpreted as an endorsement of the party by the ULP. Gonsalves later said, "An endorsement can only come from the political leader of the ULP." [5]
After the 2020 election, Forde was elected Speaker of the House of Assembly on 30 November 2020 after being nominated by Prime Minister Gonsalves. [6] She is the first woman in the role and also has a female Deputy Speaker. [6] [7] Gonsalves had received criticism after appointing an all male Cabinet. [4] Upon her election to the position, Forde said, "[do] not make the mistake of trying to resurrect an old, misguided stereotypical myth which in its folly somehow equated a particular gender with weakness." [7]
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, sometimes known simply as Saint Vincent or SVG, is an island country in the eastern Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies, at the southern end of the eastern border between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. To the north lies Saint Lucia, to the east is Barbados, and Grenada lies to the south.
The indigenous inhabitants of the islands of St. Vincent and the Grenadines were various Amerindian groups. The arrivals of Europeans in the early 16th century did not lead to long term settlement, only in 1717 did the French occupy the island in Barrouallie, though the English laid claim on St. Vincent in 1627. The Treaty of Paris (1763) saw St. Vincent ceded to Britain. Frictions with the British led to the First and Second Carib War in the mid- to late-18th century but the British held on to the islands. A Crown Colony government was installed in 1877, a Legislative Council created in 1925, and universal adult suffrage granted in 1951. Following a referendum in 1979, St. Vincent and the Grenadines became the last of the Windward Islands to gain independence on 27 October 1979.
Politics of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines takes place in the framework of a parliamentary democracy. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is an independent Commonwealth realm, with Charles III as its king, represented by a governor-general, who acts on the advice of the prime minister and the cabinet. The prime minister is the leader of the majority party of the House of Assembly, and the cabinet conducts affairs of state. The governor-general exercises ceremonial functions, but reserve powers, under the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines constitution, can be used at the governor-general's discretion.
Ralph Everard Gonsalves is a Vincentian politician. He is currently the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and the leader of the Unity Labour Party (ULP).
SirJames Fitz-Allen Mitchell was a Vincentian politician who served as the second Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines from 1984 to 2000 and as the second Premier of Saint Vincent from 1972 to 1974. He founded the New Democratic Party (NDP) in 1975, and served as its president until 2000.
The Unity Labour Party (ULP) is a democratic socialist political party in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Currently the governing party, it is led by Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves.
Arnhim Ulric Eustace is a Vincentian retired politician and economist. He served as the third Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and is the former longtime leader of the opposition and former president of the New Democratic Party (NDP) after resigning in 2016.
Ebenezer Theodore Joshua was a Vincentian politician and the first chief minister of Saint Vincent from 1960 to 1967. He was the Leader of the Legislative Council from 1956 to 1961.
Ivan Bertie O'Neal was a Vincentian politician and leader of the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Green Party. O'Neal was also the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Green Party East St. George candidate for 2020 Vincentian general election.
The House of Assembly of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is the unicameral legislature of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The Vincentian monarch and the House of Assembly constitute the Parliament of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
The monarchy of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The current Vincentian monarch and head of state, since 8 September 2022, is King Charles III. As sovereign, he is the personal embodiment of the Vincentian 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 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and, in this capacity, he and other members of the royal family undertake public and private functions domestically and abroad as representatives of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. However, the King is the only member of the royal family with any constitutional role.
A constitutional referendum was held in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on 25 November 2009. Voters were asked whether they approved of a new constitution which would have replaced the constitution in force since independence in 1979. The proposal was supported by only 43.13% of voters in the referendum, well short of the required two-thirds threshold. If approved, the proposed constitution would have abolished the monarchy of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, at the time headed by Queen Elizabeth II, and would have given more power to the opposition. The referendum was the first of its kind to be held by a member of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States.
Camillo Michael Gonsalves is a Vincentian politician, lawyer and diplomat. Gonsalves is the current Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Information Technology of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines as well as the current representative for the constituency of East St. George.
General elections were held in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on 15 June 1998. Although the Unity Labour Party (ULP) received a majority of the public vote, the New Democratic Party (NDP) won a majority of seats, the first time the party receiving a majority of the vote had failed to win the elections since 1966. Voter turnout was 67%.
General elections were held in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on 9 December 2015. The result was a victory for the Unity Labour Party, which retained its one seat majority. However, the NDP has challenged the results in two constituencies, North Windward, and Central Leeward.
General elections were held in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on 5 November 2020. Nomination day was 20 October 2020. The result was a victory for the Unity Labour Party, its fifth in a row; the party won nine of the fifteen seats, gaining one seat. These elections marked the first time since 1998 that the party which received the most votes did not win the most seats and the first time since 1994 that the New Democratic Party won the popular vote.
Lucien "Saluche" Small was a Vincentian comedian, storyteller, and radio personality. He was dubbed the "King of Comedy" in Saint Vincent due to his regular appearances at local and regional festivals.
Girlyn Miguel is a Vincentian educator and politician who served in the Parliament of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines from 1998 until 2015. A member of the Unity Labour Party, Miguel also served as deputy prime minister from 2010 to 2015, becoming the first woman to hold the position.
Sir Vincent Beache was a politician from Saint Vincent and leader of the Saint Vincent Labour Party.