The Rt. Hon. Owen Arthur
5th Prime Minister of Barbados
Incumbent
Assumed office  September 6, 1994 - 1999 January 20, 1999 - 2003 May 21, 2003 - The Hon. ... ... The incumbent, in politics, is the current holder of a political office. ... September 6 is the 249th day of the year (250th in leap years). ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... January 20 is the 20th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... May 21 is the 141st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (142nd in leap years). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Preceded by	Erskine Sandiford
Born	October 17, 1949 Barbados
Constituency	Saint Peter
Political party	Barbados Labour Party
Spouse	Julie Ann Price
Profession	Economist

Owen Seymour Arthur, MP, BA, MSc. (born 17 October 1949) is the current Prime Minister of Barbados. Sir Lloyd Erskine Sandiford (born March 24, 1937) is a Barbadian politician. ... October 17 is the 290th day of the year (291st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... Saint Peter is a parish of Barbados in the north of the island. ... The Barbados Labour Party is the current governing party of Barbados. ... Julie Ann Arthur (née Price; born 1966 or 1967) is the wife of the Prime Minister of Barbados, Owen Arthur, whom she married on August 12, 2006 in Bridgetown. ... Alan Greenspan, former chairman, United States Federal Reserve. ... Bachelor of Arts (B.A., BA or A.B.), from the Latin Artium Baccalaureus is an undergraduate bachelors degree awarded for either a course or a program in the liberal arts or the sciences, or both. ... A masters degree is an academic degree usually awarded for completion of a postgraduate (or graduate) course of one to three years in duration. ... October 17 is the 290th day of the year (291st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... A prime minister is the very most senior minister of a cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. ...

He is leader of the Barbados Labour Party, which brought him to victory in general elections in September 1994. He won general elections again in January 1999 and 2003. Owen Arthur is currently the member of parliament for the constituency of Saint Peter. The Barbados Labour Party is the current governing party of Barbados. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A constituency is any cohesive corporate unit or body bound by shared structures, goals or loyalty. ... Saint Peter is a parish of Barbados in the north of the island. ...

Owen Arthur was educated at the University of the West Indies - Cave Hill, Barbados and Mona, Jamaica where he earned a BA in economics and history (1971) and an MSc in economics (1974). After graduating he held positions with Jamaica's National Planning Agency and the Jamaica Bauxite Institute before returning to Barbados and joining the Ministry of Finance and Planning in 1981.

He was appointed to the Barbados Senate in 1983 and elected to the House of Assembly in 1984. He was chosen to serve as Leader of the Opposition in 1993 very shortly after giving notice that he was considering departing from politics due to his inability to survive at a satifactory level on the means of an MP.

One of the main platforms of Prime Minister Owen Arthur for the 2003 elections was his promise to continue the process of Independence for Barbados and transform the country into a Parliamentary Republic, replacing Queen Elizabeth II with a Barbadian President as Head of State. Owen Arthur stated a national referendum would be given in 2005 with a question to poll the public which would read something like: "Do you believe Barbados should have a Barbadian as its head of state?" This referendum has been pushed back in order to speed up the implementation process for the Caribbean (CARICOM) Single Market and Economy. With elections expected to be called in 2007, his promise of a republic is almost certain to be impossible. The focus of his current term (i.e. 2003 - 2008) is considered to have been redirected to the hosting of Cricket World Cup 2007. Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor; born 21 April 1926) is Queen of sixteen sovereign states, holding each crown and title equally. ... Queen Elizabeth II, is the Head of State of 16 countries including: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Jamaica, New Zealand and the Bahamas, as well as crown colonies and overseas territories of the United Kingdom. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... ...

It was widely believed that Mr. Owen Arthur would have retired from politics after the last elections of 2003 paving the way for the emergence of Miss Mia Mottley. He has since expressed his desire to stay on.

Owen Arthur is the holder of the Order of José Marti of Cuba. José Julián Martí y Pérez (January 28, 1853 – May 19, 1895) was a leader of the Cuban independence movement as well as an esteemed poet and writer. ...

Owen Arthur with George W. Bush

Image File history File links President George W. Bush talks with the Prime Minister Owen Arthur of Barbados during the inaugural ceremony of the Special Summit of the Americas in Monterrey, Mexico, Jan. ... Image File history File links President George W. Bush talks with the Prime Minister Owen Arthur of Barbados during the inaugural ceremony of the Special Summit of the Americas in Monterrey, Mexico, Jan. ...

See also

• Prime Ministers of Barbados
• Politics of Barbados

This is a list of Premiers and Prime Ministers of Barbados Premier Grantley Herbert Adams (1954-1958) Hugh Gordon Cummins (1958-1961) Errol Barrow (1961-1966) Prime Minister Errol Barrow (1966-1976) J.M.G. Adams (1976-1985) Bernard St. ... This article was imported from the CIA World Factbook and needs to be rewritten and/or reformatted in accordance with Wikipedia styles. ...

External links

About

• The Prime Minister of Barbados - official website
• Various Speeches made by Owen Arthur - BLP website
• Some speeches made by Owen Arthur - The Barbados Government Information Service website
• Profile of Owen Arthur - Barbados government portal

Press coverage

• Barbados set to replace Queen with president as head of state - RoyalArchive.com, 31 January 2005
• Barbados breakaway over 'King Harry' - Telegraph UK, 26 January 2005