Kamla Persad-Bissessar Biography

Kamla Persad-Bissessar is Trinidad and Tobago’s seventh Prime Minister and the first female to serve as the country’s Prime Minister. Beginning May 26, 2010, she has served as the Prime Minister and as the political leader of the United National Congress, a coalition formed among three of the country’s political parties. She was the first woman to serve as the country’s Attorney General, the first female Chairperson-in-Office and the first female Leader of the Opposition. She began her political career in Trinidad and Tobago as a Member of Parliament, representing the Siparia constituency. In addition, she has also served as the Minister of Education. While she largely keeps her family and personal life private, she is known for speaking on themes of religion and spirituality with an unusually ecumenical perspective. Aside from her achievements as a woman in office, she is widely noted for championing programs to improve her country’s educational system. She is also presented, particularly in campaigns, as a politician who is from a humble, rural background, but who has also pursued a high level of education, attending top schools in the United States