Bruce Golding, the conservative leader of the Jamaican Labor Party, took office as Jamaica's prime minister Tuesday and promised to fight corruption and crime, attract foreign investment and boost education.
Golding, 59, took the oath before Governor General Kenneth Hall in front of an audience of 6,000 people, including diplomats and leaders from the Caribbean Community, news reports said. It marks the party's return to power after an 18-year hiatus.
The party won 33 seats in the nation's 60-seat legislature in the Sept. 3 general elections. The People's National Party, led by outgoing Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, won the remaining seats. Simpson was the nation's first ever woman prime minister.
Golding said his other goals were to provide free medical care for Jamaicans starting next April and to create a platform to boost the nation's economy and social welfare.
Among the guests at the ceremony were Barbados Prime Minister Owen Arthur, Vice President of Cuba's Council of State Esteban Lazo Hernandez and the secretary general of Caribbean Community, Edward Carrington.
Source: Xinhua
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article