Andrew Holness

The Honourable Andrew M. Holness MP
File:Andrew Holness.png
9th Prime Minister of Jamaica
In office 23 October 2011 – 5 January 2012
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor General	Patrick Allen
Preceded by	Bruce Golding
Succeeded by	Portia Simpson-Miller
Minister of Education
In office 11 September 2007 – 1 January 2012
Prime Minister	Bruce Golding
Preceded by	Maxine Henry-Wilson
Succeeded by	Rev. Ronald Thwaites
Leader of the Opposition
Incumbent
Assumed office 5 January 2012
Prime Minister	Portia Simpson-Miller
Preceded by	Portia Simpson-Miller
Leader of the Labour Party
Incumbent
Assumed office 20 November 2011
Preceded by	Bruce Golding
Shadow Minister of Defence, Development and OPM Operations
Incumbent
Assumed office 19 January 2012
Prime Minister	Portia Simpson-Miller
Preceded by	Portia Simpson-Miller
Shadow Minister of Education
Incumbent
Assumed office 19 January 2012
Prime Minister	Portia Simpson-Miller
Preceded by	Basil Waite
Member of Parliament for Saint Andrew West Central
Incumbent
Assumed office 16 December 1997
Personal details
Born	(1972-07-22) 22 July 1972 Spanish Town, Jamaica
Political party	Labour Party
Spouse	Juliet Holness (m. 1997)
Children	3
Alma mater	St. Catherine High University of the West Indies

Andrew Michael Holness (born 22 July 1972) is a Jamaican politician who was Prime Minister of Jamaica from October 2011 to January 2012. He previously served as the Minister of Education from 2007 to 2012. Shortly after taking office, he led his party, the Jamaica Labour Party, to defeat in the December 2011 general election. He has served as Leader of the Opposition since 2012.

Holness was the youngest person to become Prime Minister in Jamaica's history, as well as the country's ninth Prime Minister overall. He is also the second shortest serving Prime Minister in Jamaica (Sir Donald Sangster being the shortest) as well as the Caribbean.

Biography

Early life

Andrew Holness is a graduate of the St. Catherine High School and a graduate of the University of the West Indies where he pursued a Master of Science in Development Studies and a Bachelor of Science in Management Studies. In 1997, he married Juliet (nee Landell) Holness, an accountant, whom he had met as student at St. Catherine High School during the 1980s. The couple have two children, Adam and Andrew Jr.

Holness served as Executive Director in the Voluntary Organization for Uplifting Children from 1994 to 1996 and then joined the Premium Group of Companies, acting as a special assistant to Edward Seaga.

He is a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church

Political career

In 1997 he became 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

He succeeded Bruce Golding as both leader of the Jamaica Labour Party and Prime Minister on 23 October 2011, making him the ninth person to hold this office. As Prime Minister, he chose to retain the education portfolio.

2011 elections

On 5 December 2011, Holness called the next election for 29 December 2011. The JLP campaigned in their strongholds and Holness highlighted the four years of JLP government with accomplishments, such as economic growth and crime reduction that the JLP says that the PNP failed to do in their eighteen years of rule. But on 29 December 2011, the JLP lost at the polls to the People's National Party, which gained a large majority of 42 to the JLP's 21 parliamentary seats.

See also

• Cabinet of Jamaica

External links

• Profile
• Jis Page
• About Jamaica - Official Jamaican Guide