Denzil Douglas
| The Right Honourable Denzil Douglas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis | |
|
In office 6 July 1995 – 18 February 2015 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor General |
Clement Arrindell Cuthbert Sebastian Edmund Lawrence |
| Preceded by | Kennedy Simmonds |
| Succeeded by | Timothy Harris |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
14 January 1953 Saint Paul Capisterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis |
| Political party | Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party |
| Alma mater | University of the West Indies |
Denzil Llewellyn Douglas (born 14 January 1953) is the longest-serving Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis, having held the position between 1995 and 2015. He is the leader of the Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP).[1]
Biography
Early life and pre-political career
Born on 14 January 1953,[2] in the village of St. Pauls, Douglas studied medicine as a young man. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in 1977 and a Degree in Medicine in 1984 from the University of the West Indies.[3] In 1986 he established a private medical practice as a family physician and served as President of the St. Kitts-Nevis Medical Association in the late 1980s.[2]
Appointment to Privy Council
In 2011, Douglas was appointed to Her Majesty’s Privy Council, with the prefix ‘Right Honorable’ added to his name. The Privy Council is a body of advisors to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom. They advise the queen in dispensing duties as a monarch. Before Douglas, the then-Prime Minister Kennedy Simmonds was appointed a Privy Counselor in 1994.[4]
Political life
Douglas was elected M.P. for St. Christopher (No.6) ward (Newton Ground, St. Paul's, Dieppe Bay, Saddlers, and Harris) in the National Assembly of Saint Kitts and Nevis in 1989 and appointed Leader of the Opposition. That year he was also elected leader of the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party.
He restructured the party in preparation for its 1995 electoral victory. He was appointed Prime Minister of the Federation in 1995, re-appointed Prime Minister in March 2000 and again in October 2004 after the Labour Party won a third term with seven of the eight seats on St. Kitts. The Labour Party won its fourth consecutive term in office on 25 January 2010, winning six of the eight seats on St Kitts in the eleven-member National Assembly.
In 2011 he was appointed a Privy Counsellor which bestowed him the title of "Right Honourable."[5][6]
Laptops for high school students
In 2011, Douglas was responsible for the OLPC (One Laptop per Child) program, which provided 2,000 free laptops per year from Taiwan to high school students.[7]
References
- ↑ Puddington, Arch; Piano, Aili; Eiss, Camille; Roylance, Tyler; Neubauer, Katrina (2008-08-01). Freedom in the World 2008: The Annual Survey of Political Rights & Civil Liberties. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9780742563063.
- 1 2 East, Roger; Richard Thomas (2003). "Denzil Douglas". Profiles of people in power: the world's government leaders (Google book search) (1st ed.). London: Europa. pp. 439–440. ISBN 978-1-85743-126-1. LCCN 2004297732. OCLC 52634735. Retrieved August 12, 2009.
- ↑ "Denzil Douglas Biography - Began Political Career Early, Experienced Troubled Political Times, Won a Landslide Victory, Won a Third Term". 2009. Retrieved August 12, 2009.
- ↑ "Winn FM (St. Kitts Nevis) News: SKN Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas appointed to Privy Council". stkittsweb.com. Retrieved 2016-05-07.
- ↑ "Prime Minister Douglas appointed to Her Majesty's Privy Council". Office of the Prime Minister. Saint Kitts and Nevis. November 18, 2011. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
- ↑ JCPC (1995). "Privy Council Members". Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- ↑ "Taiwan Begins Laptop Programme for Students in St Kitts and Nevis". Caribbean Journal. 2012-02-27. Retrieved 2016-05-07.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Kennedy Simmonds |
Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis 1995–2015 |
Succeeded by Timothy Harris |