Mark Anthony Graham Brantley (born 11 January 1969) is the Premier of Nevis, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and former

Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

for St Kitts and Nevis. On May 10, 2022, Dr Timothy Harris, having lost the support of the elected majority to function as Prime Minister and facing a historic Motion of No Confidence in the National Parliament, decided to dissolve the Parliament and purported to revoke the appointment of more than 50% of his former Cabinet, including Brantley. Brantley previously served as the

leader of the opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...

in the

National Assembly of Saint Kitts and Nevis The National Assembly and the Monarchy of Saint Kitts and Nevis, King of Saint Christopher and Nevis jointly make up the legislature of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Composition of the National Assembly The assembly has 14 or 15 members (depending upo ...

(2007 – 2015). He is married and has 2 daughters. Brantley studied law at the University of the West Indies, obtained his Legal Education Certificate of Merit from Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica and also holds a Bachelor of Civil Law from the University of Oxford, St. Catherine College. Prior to entering politics, Brantley worked as an attorney.

Career

Legal career

Brantley is a lawyer by profession and has acted in several notable cases involving international litigation. He attended secondary school at Charlestown Secondary School. He completed his higher education at the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 18 English-speaking countries and territories in t ...

where he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws, Upper Second Class Honors. He then attended the Norman Manley Law School where he received a Legal Education Certificate of Merit. He completed his studies at St Catherine's College, a college of the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

in the United Kingdom (which he attended as a Commonwealth Scholar) where he completed a Bachelor of Civil Law. Brantley has been admitted to the bar in St Kitts and Nevis,

Anguilla Anguilla is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Sa ...

Grenada Grenada is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The southernmost of the Windward Islands, Grenada is directly south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and about north of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and the So ...

Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda is a Sovereign state, sovereign archipelagic country composed of Antigua, Barbuda, and List of islands of Antigua and Barbuda, numerous other small islands. Antigua and Barbuda has a total area of 440 km2 (170 sq mi), ...

and

Dominica Dominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. It is part of the Windward Islands chain in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of t ...

Political career

Brantley serves as a member of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

, representing the conservative,

Nevis Nevis ( ) is an island in the Caribbean Sea that forms part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain of the West Indies. Nevis and the neighbouring island of Saint Kitts constitute the Saint Kitts and Nevis, Federation of Saint Kitts ...

-based

Concerned Citizens' Movement The Concerned Citizens' Movement (CCM) is a Nevis-based political party in Saint Kitts and Nevis. Led by Mark Brantley, it is currently the largest party in Nevis, holding all three Nevisian seats in the National Assembly and three out of five s ...

. He serves as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the St. Christopher and Nevis Federal Government. He was formerly the Deputy Premier of the Nevis Island Administration and held the portfolio of Minister of Tourism, Health, Culture, Youth, Sports, and Community Development in that government. From 2007-2015 he served as the

in the

. He hosts a weekly two hour political talk-show on VON Radio 860AM. On 29 October 2017, Nevis Premier and Leader of the CCM

Vance Amory Vance Winkworth Amory (22 May 1949 – 2 April 2022) was a Saint Kitts and Nevis politician, cricketer, banker, and educator. He served two stints as Premier of Nevis, from 1992 to 2006 and from 2013 to 2017, and served as the Minister of Spor ...

stepped down, with Brantley winning the leadership roles at the CCM party convention. On 18 December 2017 his party won the election. He became the fourth Premier of Nevis on 19 December 2017. He led his party to victory in the 2017 Nevis Island Assembly election, with the CCM winning 4 of the 5 seats. He currently serves as the Premier of Nevis with a number of ministry roles on the Nevis Island Administration. He was appointed as

in the National Assembly on 10 October 2022.

Personal life

Brantley is married with two daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brantley, Mark Living people 1969 births Premiers of Nevis Alumni of St Catherine's College, Oxford Concerned Citizens' Movement politicians Government ministers of Saint Kitts and Nevis Members of the National Assembly (Saint Kitts and Nevis) University of the West Indies alumni People from Saint George Gingerland Parish Foreign ministers of Saint Kitts and Nevis

Career

Legal career

Political career

Personal life

See also

References