Maria Bird-Browne

Maria Vanessa Bird-Browne (born 1991) is a politician in Antigua and Barbuda. She was elected as a member of the House of Representatives for St. John's Rural East in the Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda in 2018, becoming the youngest lawmaker in the country and the youngest female member of parliament across the Commonwealth. She is the country's minister for housing, lands, and urban renewal.

Maria Vanessa Bird-Browne
Member of the Antigua and Barbuda Parliament
for St. John's Rural East
Assumed office
March 2018
MonarchsElizabeth II
Charles III
Governor GeneralRodney Williams
Personal details
Born1991 (age 31–32)
Political partyAntigua and Barbuda Labour Party
SpouseGaston Browne
RelationsVere Bird, Lester Bird
Alma materUniversity of Phoenix, Arden University

Bird-Browne's grandfather and uncle were the first and second prime ministers of Antigua and Barbuda, respectively. She is also the current first lady of the country; her husband, Gaston Browne, is the current prime minister, having assumed office in 2014.

Early life and education

Maria Bird was born in 1991.[1] Her paternal grandfather, Vere Bird, was Antigua and Barbuda's first prime minister from 1981 to 1994 and is considered the father of the nation.[2] Her parents are Purcell and Xandra Bird, and her uncle is Lester Bird, who served as prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda from 1994 to 2004.[3][4]

Bird-Browne graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Phoenix.[2] She later received a bachelor of laws in 2019 from Arden University.[5]

Political career

In the 2018 Antiguan general election, Bird-Browne ran as a candidate for the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party for the St. John’s Rural East seat, which was previously held by her uncle Lester Bird.[2] The former prime minister endorsed her as his successor.[6] She won, becoming the youngest member of the Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda at age 26.[1] She was also the youngest female lawmaker in the Commonwealth as of 2018.[7]

After taking office in March 2018, Bird-Browne was appointed as minister for housing, lands, and urban renewal, as well as junior minister in the Ministry of Legal Affairs, Public Safety, and Labor.[8] She has focused on housing and infrastructure on the islands during her term.[9][10]

She is married to the current prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, making her the first lady as well.[2][11] The couple wed in 2013, the year after Browne had defeated her uncle to take control of the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party.[4] When Bird-Browne took office in 2018, it marked the first time a husband-and-wife pair served together in Parliament.[12]

Controversies

Bird-Browne previously operated a charity, Share Inc., which was shut down in 2017 amid criticism of the government's dealings with the organization during her husband's first term as prime minister. He had announced that Share Inc. would partner with the government to finance a government-run venture capital fund at the Antigua and Barbuda Development Bank.[13][14]

When her candidacy for the 2018 election was announced in late 2017, critics charged that she was primarily chosen for the race because of her position both in the Bird dynasty and as the prime minister's wife.[15] There was speculation that other candidates vying for the nomination were pressured to step back after Bird-Browne expressed interest in the seat.[16] The Labour Party, however, denied that the prime minister was involved in selecting the candidate for her constituency and said that she was selected based on a poll that the party had commissioned.[17][18]

Personal life

Maria Bird-Browne and her husband, Prime Minister Gaston Browne, have two children: a son, Prince Gaston Browne, and a daughter, Peace-Marie Xandra Browne.[11][19] Gaston Browne has three other children from before the couple were married.[20]

See also

References
  1. "PM's wife becomes youngest parliamentarian". Antigua Observer Newspaper. 22 March 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  2. "Maria Browne". Caribbean Elections. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  3. "Cabinet congratulates Minister of Housing on her graduation with an LLB Degree from Arden University". Antigua Breaking News. 11 July 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  4. "Antigua & Barbuda: Gaston Browne, new opposition leader - begins prepping for general elections". The Habari Network. 26 November 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  5. "Minister Maria Browne earns law degree". Antigua Observer Newspaper. 13 July 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  6. "Former Antiguan Prime Minister, Sir Lester Bird, Retires From Active Politics". Pride News. 13 December 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  7. "Hon. Maria Browne MP speaks at Commonwealth Women's Forum". Antigua and Barbuda High Commission U.K. 17 April 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  8. "Bird-Browne plans to fast- track government housing". Antigua Observer Newspaper. 24 March 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  9. "Maria Browne attends infrastructure, investment and construction forum in China". Antigua Breaking News. 5 June 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  10. "'National Housing Company is a success,' Housing Minister says". Antigua Observer Newspaper. 22 June 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  11. "HE Mrs. Maria Browne Antigua & Barbuda". SCLAN. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  12. "Maria joins husband in Parliament". Antigua Observer Newspaper. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  13. "Gaston Browne says Share Inc is suspended". Antigua Observer Newspaper. 8 February 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  14. "Antigua PM Threatens Legal Action to Protect Wife's Name". Times Caribbean. 29 January 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  15. "Editorial: A reward for no work". Antigua Observer Newspaper. 12 December 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  16. "Bird-Browne shows spark". Antigua Observer Newspaper. 12 December 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  17. "Antigua-Barbuda: 'PM not influencing candidate choice'". WIC News. 11 December 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  18. "Maria Bird-Browne vows to win Antigua seat". WIC News. 13 December 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  19. "UPDATE: Maria Browne Announces Arrival Of Peace-Marie Xandra Browne". Antigua News Room. 19 September 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  20. "PM Browne says wife and baby are 'doing very well'". Antigua Observer Newspaper. 20 September 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
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