Roosevelt Skerrit : Ask Biography

Home | Office Holder | Roosevelt Skerrit

Roosevelt Skerrit (born 8 June 1972) is a Dominican politician who has been Prime Minister of Dominica since 2004; he has also been the Member of Parliament for the Vieille Case constituency since 2000. Regionally, he has served as the Chairman of the OECS and most recently as Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) since January 2010.

Roosevelt Skerrit became Prime Minister after the death of Pierre Charles in January 2004. At the time of Pierre Charles’ death, Roosevelt Skerrit was a member of parliament for the Vieille Case constituency, a position he had held since his election in February 2000. In addition to being the Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit also serves as Minister for Finance, Minister for Foreign Affairs and as the political leader of the Dominica Labor Party.

Upon taking office Skerrit became the world's youngest head of government, surpassing Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. With his party's May 2005 election victory, Skerrit became the world's first democratically elected national leader born in the 1970s. As of December 2010 Skerrit remains the youngest head of government in the Western Hemisphere and the third youngest in the world, surpassed only by Madagascar's Andry Rajoelina and Montenegro's Igor Lukšić.