Julianna O'Connor-Connolly

Juliana O'Connor-Connolly is a Caymanian politician, former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Cayman Islands and Premier of the Cayman Islands. O'Connor-Connolly served as Premier of the Cayman Islands from 19 December 2012 until 29 May 2013 O'Connor-Connolly currently serves as the Elected Member for the district of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, serving her sixth term in the Legislative Assembly of the Cayman Islands.

O'Connor-Connolly was the first-ever female Premier of the Cayman Islands.^[1] Prior to becoming Premier, she was the territory's Deputy Premier serving from November 2009 until December 2012.^[2] In 1997 O'Connor-Connolly became Cayman's first woman minister when she was chosen to fill a vacancy on Executive Council as the Minister of Community Affairs, Sports, Women, Youth and Culture. O'Connor-Connolly has previously served as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly from November 2001 to October 2003. From October 2003 to April 2005 she served as Minister for Planning, Communications, District Administration and Information Technology.

O'Connor-Connolly was elected Deputy Premier during the Cayman Islands general election in 2009, and in addition to assuming the post of Deputy Premier, she served as Minister of District Administration, Works, Lands and Agriculture. In 2012 O'Connor-Connolly assumed the post of Premier of the Cayman Islands she also served as Minister of Finance, District Administration, Works, Lands and Agriculture.

Following the Cayman Islands general election she crossed the floor to join the People's Progressive Movement party and in May 2013 she was appointed as Speaker of the Cayman Islands Legislative Assembly, leaving this post in May 2017.^[3]

O'Connor-Connolly was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1996. She is the first woman to represent the Sister Islands. Born and raised on Cayman Brac, she first pursued a career in teaching but later received a law degree from the University of Liverpool and was a practising attorney before entering politics.

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