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Most Hon. Portia Simpson-Miller
7th Prime Minister of Jamaica
In office 30 March 2006 – 11 September 2007
Preceded by	P. J. Patterson
Succeeded by	Bruce Golding
Born	12 December 1945 (1945-12-12) (age 61) Wood Hall, St. Catherine, Jamaica
Political party	People's National Party
Spouse	Errald Miller

Portia Lucretia Simpson-Miller, ON, MP (born 12 December 1945 in Wood Hall, St. Catherine Parish) is Jamaica's Leader of the Opposition and was the country's Prime Minister from 30 March 2006 to 11 September 2007.

She replaced outgoing Prime Minister P. J. Patterson, becoming the first female head of government of the nation^[1] and the third in the Anglophone Caribbean following Eugenia Charles of Dominica and Janet Jagan of Guyana. She also holds the position of president of the opposition People's National Party.

In the PNP's internal vote to elect Patterson's successor, held on 26 February 2006, she received 1,775 votes, while her nearest rival, national security minister Dr. Peter Phillips, took 1,538 votes (see [1]). She was only able to garner approximately 47% of the delegates' vote, making her the first PNP president to be elected by less than half of eligible delegates.

Simpson-Miller had been the Minister of Local Government and Sport since October 2002. She previously served as Minister of Labour, Welfare and Sports from 1989 to 1993, when she re-entered parliament for South West St. Andrew, the PNP having boycotted the elections called in 1983; she was first elected, for that constituency, in 1976. She was Minister of Labour and Welfare from 1993 to 1995, Minister of Labour, Social Security and Sports from 1995 to February 2000, and Minister of Tourism and Sports from February 2000 to October 2002. Her ministerial portfolios have been characterised by allegations of mismanagement and corruption. This came to the fore during the very bitter presidential campaign. She was a Vice President of the PNP from 1978 to 2006. In appointing her first cabinet following her swearing-in, she also assumed the portfolio of defence minister.

Simpson-Miller holds a Bachelor of Arts in public administration from the Union Institute. She has since been awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by the Union Institute.

On September 3, 2007 her party narrowly lost the 2007 general election retaining 27 seats against the rival Jamaican Labour Party's 33 seats.

Simpson-Miller initially refused to concede defeat alleging voting irregularities and the possibility that recounts will change the final result. The Organization of American States issued a statement declaring the election free and fair. "I believe this election can stand international scrutiny," said OAS assistant secretary-general Albert Ramdin who led a team of international observers who monitored the election.[2] She conceded defeat on September 5.[3] On September 11, Simpson Miller was succeeded as Prime Minister by JLP leader Bruce Golding.^[2]

Simpson-Miller is married to The Most Honourable Errald Miller, formerly CEO of Cable & Wireless Jamaica Ltd.

On 29 May 2006 she was invested with the Jamaican Order of the Nation, giving her (and her husband) the style "The Most Honourable".[4]

• Official profile
• Extended profile
• Profile from the Jamaica Gleaner
• "It's Portia", 26 February 2006, Jamaica Observer.
• "PNP's First Female President", 26 February 2006, The Gleaner
• [5]

v • d • e Heads of government of Jamaica
(Chief Ministers, 1953-1962) Alexander Bustamante • Norman Manley • (Prime Ministers, 1962–) Alexander Bustamante • Donald Sangster • Hugh Shearer • Michael Manley  • Edward Seaga • Michael Manley • P. J. Patterson • Portia Simpson-Miller • Bruce Golding