Nationality Kittitian | Years active 1994-present | |
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Born 10 July 1953 ( 1953-07-10 ) Basseterre, Saint Kitts, St. Kitts and Nevis Occupation educator, lawyer, politician Known for First female Speaker of the National Assembly of Saint Kitts and Nevis | ||
Cayon political rally marcella liburd
Marcella Liburd (born 1953) is a Kittitian politician. Trained as a teacher and then as a barrister and solicitor, Liburd was the first woman to serve as Speaker of the National Assembly of Saint Kitts and Nevis. She has served in various Ministerial positions, as Acting Prime Minister, and is the current Chair of the Opposition for the Labour Party. She is the first woman to serve as Chair in the 81-year-old organization.
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Ms marcella liburd
Early Life
Marcella Liburd was born on 10 July 1953 in Basseterre, Saint Kitts, St. Kitts and Nevis to Anne Eliza (née Martin) and Clement Liburd. After attending Basseterre Girls School, Liburd graduated from Basseterre High School. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of the West Indies in 1976.
Career
Liburd returned from abroad and began teaching at Basseterre and Cayon High Schools. She returned to her own studies, obtaining a Bachelor of Law with honours in 1992 from Norman Manley Law School (NMLS) where she continued her education, earning a Legal Education Certificate from NMLS in 1994. After Liburd's admission as a barrister and solicitor for the Eastern Supreme Court in 1994, she began a political career. She was appointed as Secretary of the Labour Party in 1997. In 2004, she became Speaker of the National Assembly, the first woman to serve in that capacity in the country. Liburd served until 2008, when she ran as a candidate for Constituency No. 2, St. Kitts and was elected as a Member of Parliament.
Liburd has drafted legislation which includes the Domestic Violence Act and Equal Pay Act. She has served as the Minister of Health, Social Services, Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs, as well as Acting Prime Minister. In 2011, Liburd was featured in an exhibit promoted by various departments of the Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis to highlight prominent women's accomplishments.
In 2013, Liburd became the first woman elected as Chair of the Labour Party in its 81 year history. In 2015, the Labor Party was removed from office for the first time in twenty years, making Liburd head of the Opposition.