Lucille Andrea George-Wout
Governor of Curaçao
Lucille Andrea George-Wout (born 26 February 1950) is a Curaçaoan politician who has been Governor of Curaçao since 4 November 2013. She is the first female governor of the island. She earlier served in the Island Council of Curaçao as a deputy, was Speaker of the Estates of the Netherlands Antilles, and was Minister for the Netherlands Antilles.
Career
George-Wout was a member of parliament for the Partido MAN in the Island Council of Curaçao in the early 1990s. As a politician for the Party for the Restructured Antilles (PAR), she was Speaker of the Estates of the Netherlands Antilles from 1994 to 1998. She also served as Minister for Work and Social Affairs of the Netherlands Antilles for the same party between 1999 and 2001.
In August 2013, the succession of former Governor of Curaçao Frits Goedgedrag was discussed by the ruling coalition of Curaçao. Two requirements for the successor were that she should be female and that she should be able to complete two terms of six years. Of the list of 10 possible candidates George-Wout was seen as the main candidate. At the end of the month the list was down to three candidates, including George-Wout.
On 1 November 2013 Ronald Plasterk, Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations of the Netherlands, nominated George-Wout in the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with her appointment commencing on 4 November 2013. She was sworn in by King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands on the same day, becoming the second Governor of Curaçao. George-Wout will have to formally accept the office in a solemn session of the Estates of Curaçao. By acceding to the function of Governor of Curaçao George-Wout replaces Frits Goedgedrag, who left the office in November 2012 because of health problems. His functions had been temporarily performed by acting Governor Adèle van der Pluijm-Vrede.
Personal life
Lucille George-Wout is married to Herman George, former director of house-building association FKP. He furthermore is chair of a fund for social development and economic activity.
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