Mia Mottley

Mia Mottley
Mottley in 2021
8th Prime Minister of Barbados
Assumed office
25 May 2018
MonarchElizabeth II (until 2021)
PresidentSandra Mason (since 2021)
Governor‑GeneralSandra Mason (until 2021)
DeputySantia Bradshaw (since 2022)
Preceded byFreundel Stuart
7th Deputy Prime Minister of Barbados
In office
26 May 2003 – 15 January 2008
Prime MinisterOwen Arthur
Preceded byBillie Miller
Succeeded byFreundel Stuart
Leader of the Opposition
In office
26 February 2013 – 25 May 2018
Prime MinisterFreundel Stuart
Preceded byOwen Arthur
Succeeded byJoseph Atherley[1]
In office
7 February 2008 – 18 October 2010
Prime MinisterDavid Thompson
Preceded byDavid Thompson
Succeeded byOwen Arthur
Member of Parliament
for Saint Michael North East
Assumed office
6 September 1994
Preceded byLeroy Brathwaite
Majority3,243 (62.1%)
Personal details
Born (1965-10-01) 1 October 1965 (age 59)
Barbados
Political partyBarbados Labour Party
RelationsEva Mottley (cousin)
ResidenceIlaro Court (2018–present)
EducationMerrivale Preparatory School; United Nations International School; Queen's College (Barbados)
Alma materLondon School of Economics (LLB)

Mia Amor Mottley, SC, MP[2] (born 1 October 1965) is a Barbadian politician and attorney who has served as the eighth prime minister of Barbados since 2018 and as Leader of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) since 2008. Mottley is the first woman to hold either position. She is also Barbados' first prime minister under its republican system, following constitutional changes she introduced that abolished the country's constitutional monarchy.

Mottley has been the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Saint Michael North East since 1994. From 1994 to 2008, she held a succession of ministerial portfolios including the post of Attorney-General of Barbados becoming the first woman to be appointed as such. She is also a member of the Inter-American Dialogue.[3]

Mottley was twice the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Assembly of Barbados first from 2008 to 2010 then from 2013 to 2018. In 2018, the Mottley-led BLP won a historic landslide victory in the 24 May general election, securing all 30 seats in the House—making them the first party to accomplish this feat—in addition to winning 72.8 per cent of the popular vote, which is the highest share ever achieved by a party in a general election.[4]

Mottley won a second term in office at the 2022 general election, once again sweeping all 30 seats in the legislature[5] in a snap election that she called.[6] She is the longest currently-serving female state leader.

She is viewed as a leading candidate to succeed António Guterres as the next Secretary-General of the United Nations.[7]

  1. ^ "Bishop Atherley now Leader of the Opposition". Barbados Advocate. 2 June 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2018 – via barbadosadvocate.com.
  2. ^ "The Honourable Mia Amor Mottley, SC, MP". pmo.gov.bb. 24 October 2018. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  3. ^ "Inter-American Dialogue | Mia Amor Mottely". thedialogue.org. Archived from the original on 8 July 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  4. ^ "Barbados General Election Results 2018". caribbeanelections.com. Archived from the original on 12 September 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  5. ^ Wyss, Jim (20 January 2022). "Barbados Leader Mia Mottley Re-Elected in Another Landslide". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Mottley Calls Snap Barbados General Election for January 2022". The St Kitts Nevis Observer. 28 December 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  7. ^ Fillion, Stephanie (29 September 2023). "Analysis: Who could lead the United Nations next? This Caribbean climate leader makes diplomats 'jump' with excitement". CNN. Retrieved 22 September 2024.