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The Honourable
Dean Oliver Barrow |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 8 February 2008 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor General | Colville Young |
| Deputy | Gaspar Vega |
| Preceded by | Said Musa |
| Constituency | Queen's Square |
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| Born | 2 March 1951 |
| Political party | United Democratic Party |
| Spouse(s) | Kim Simpliss (second marriage) |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Dean Oliver Barrow (born March 2, 1951) is a Belizean politician and the Prime Minister of Belize. He is also the leader of the United Democratic Party. An attorney by trade, he served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1993 to 1998 and was then Leader of the Opposition until the UDP won the February 2008 election. Following his party's victory in the 2008 election, he became Prime Minister.
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Family
Barrow has four children. The oldest is rapper Jamal "Shyne" Barrow, born November 8, 1978.[1] (Shyne was born out of wedlock; his mother is the sister of Barrow's longest political colleague, the Hon. Michael Finnegan). His second son is a successful entrepreneur, and runs a small lending institution. His daughter Deanne practices law out of her mother's [Barrow's first wife Lois Young] firm.
Barrow married for a second time February 7, 2009 (exactly one year after winning the elections that made him Prime Minister) in Savannah, Georgia to his long-time girlfriend Kim Simplis.[2] They have one daughter, Salima.
Education
Barrow attended St. Michael's College in Belize and the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados (LL.B. 1973); Norman Manley Law School, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica (Certificate of Legal Education, 1975); University of Miami School of Law (L.M., 1981); University of Miami (M.A. International Relations).
Legal career
Barrow, a senior counsel (the local equivalent of the British 'QC'), is also considered one of Belize's more successful attorneys and has appeared in several high profile cases. He began his legal work in the law firm of uncle Dean Lindo in 1973 and became a partner in 1977. He would eventually leave to form his own law firm. He is currently senior partner in the local law firm Barrow and Williams (with Rodwell Williams), and frequently appears in court to argue sensitive cases. Among his more controversial clients was Lord Ashcroft and the businesses he is in charge of, particularly the Belize Bank and Belize Telemedia Limited, formerly Belize Telecommunications Limited.
Political career
In 1983 Barrow entered electoral politics as a candidate for Belize City Council elections in December 1983, which he won as part of a nine-man slate. He then participated in general elections of December 1984 as a candidate for the Queen's Square electoral division against, ironically, former fellow MP Ralph Fonseca. Barrow defeated Fonseca handily and was nominated to Cabinet as Attorney General and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
In the 1989 general election, Barrow defeated Thomas Greenwood but his party lost the election. Barrow continued in his law practice. In 1990, he became Deputy Party Leader to Manuel Esquivel after the death of the Hon. Curl Thompson. In 1993, Barrow won his third straight general election, over Juliet Soberanis, and returned to Cabinet in the posts he held from the previous administration in addition to Minister of National Security. His detractors called him "Minister of Everything" during this period because he appeared at most major functions on behalf of the UDP government.
After the 1998 elections loss in which he was one of only three representatives who retained a seat for the UDP, Barrow was elevated to Party Leader and Leader of the Opposition, replacing Manuel Esquivel in both positions. Barrow has presided over the smallest Oppositions (3 and 7 respectively) in the House of Representatives since 1974 and ever in the UDP's history. Barrow has won his last two elections by closer margins than his previous elections over attorney Richard "Dickie" Bradley.
Barrow was re-elected for the sixth time in 2008 against the PUP's Anthony Sylvester and Ebony Babb of the NRTCP.
Prime Minister
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The UDP won a massive victory, with 25 out of 31 seats, in the general election held on February 7, 2008, and Barrow was sworn in as Prime Minister on February 8. He is the country's first black Prime Minister.[3] He announced his Cabinet, including himself as Minister of Finance, on February 11.[4] Barrow has made himself readily available to local media regarding various issues.
References
- ^ "Belize elects first black leader, ousts incumbent (page 2)". Catherine Bremer Reuters. February 8, 2008. http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSN0848407320080208?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0. Retrieved 2009-08-27.
- ^ "Belize prime minister will get married in Savannah", Associated Press (Atlanta Journal-Constitution), January 15, 2009.
- ^ "Belize's opposition party wins landslide in congressional elections", Associated Press (International Herald Tribune), February 9, 2008.
- ^ "Prime Minister Dean Barrow announces new Cabinet", The San Pedro Sun, Vol. 18, No. 7, February 14, 2008.
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Said Musa |
Prime Minister of Belize 2008–present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Said Musa |
Leader of the Opposition 1998 – 2008 |
Succeeded by Said Musa |
| Preceded by New constituency |
Area Representative, Queen's Square 1984–present |
Incumbent |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Manuel Esquivel |
Party Leader, United Democratic Party 1998–present |
Incumbent |
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