Haresh Kishinchand Budhrani | |
---|---|
5th Speaker of the Gibraltar Parliament | |
In office 2004–2012 | |
Preceded by | John Alcantara |
Succeeded by | Adolfo Canepa |
Personal details | |
Born | Mumbai,India | 30 June 1952
Nationality | British (Gibraltarian) |
Residence | Gibraltar |
Alma mater | King's College London College of Law |
Occupation | Barrister businessman politician |
Portfolio | Chairman of the Hindu Merchants' Association Speaker of the Gibraltar Parliament |
Haresh Kishinchand Budhrani KC (born 30 June 1952) is a Gibraltarian barrister of Indian origin. He was Speaker of the Gibraltar Parliament from September 2004 to October 2012.
Budhrani was born in Mumbai,India,in June 1952. He is of Sindhi origin. [1] He was educated in Derbyshire and later at the College of Law,Guildford. Budhrani commented on the growing acceptability of Hindus in Gibraltar –by 1973 he assessed that Hindus were able to fully join in with the local community. [2]
He graduated in Law in 1974 from King's College London. [3] Budhrani later attended the Inns of Court School of Law becoming a barrister in August 1975. [4]
He was president of the Hindu Merchants' Association of Gibraltar until 2004,following the resignation of The Hon. Judge John E. Alcantara who had been nominated for the position of Speaker by the governing Gibraltar Social Democrats (without the approval of the Opposition). [4] In September 2004,Budhrani took office as Speaker of the Gibraltar House of Assembly (later the Gibraltar Parliament). [5]
In December 2011,he was reappointed by Chief Minister,Fabian Picardo of the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party. [6]
On 28 September 2012 Budhrani announced that he would relinquish the position of Speaker. [7] [8]
In May 2012,he was accused of having defaulted business tax payments,and as consequence,his salary of Speaker was withheld by the Gibraltar Treasury. [9] Budhrani stated that although a deduction was really being done from month to month,it was the result of an agreement signed with the Gibraltar Income Tax Office,not an imposition of the same,and that the amount of his debt were not as high as cited by the local media [10] (the Gibraltar Chronicle implied it was over £150,000). [9]
Demographic features of the population of Gibraltar include ethnicity,education level,health of the populace,economic status,religious affiliations and other aspects.
The governor of Gibraltar is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The role of the governor is to act as the de facto head of state. They are responsible for formally appointing the chief minister of Gibraltar,along with other members of the government of Gibraltar after a general election. The governor serves as commander-in-chief of Gibraltar's military forces and has sole responsibility for defence and security. Although recent appointments have all been former military personnel,most being former Royal Navy or Royal Marines flag officers,Sir James Dutton resigned from the role in 2015,complaining that it was "more representational and ceremonial than I had expected".
The Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party (GSLP) is a social-democratic political party in Gibraltar. The GSLP is the oldest surviving active political party in Gibraltar. Its roots are based in the trade union movement,as its founder and former leader Joe Bossano was the District Officer of the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU). The party has been led since 2011 by Fabian Picardo,who has served as Chief Minister of Gibraltar since the 2011 general election. The GSLP forms the GSLP–Liberal Alliance in partnership with the Liberal Party of Gibraltar.
Daniel Anthony Feetham KC MP is a Gibraltarian lawyer and former politician who served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Gibraltar Social Democrats (GSD) from 2013 to 2017.
Sir Joseph John Bossano is a Gibraltarian politician who served as Chief Minister of Gibraltar from 1988 to 1996 and Leader of the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party from 1978 to 2011. He served as Leader of the Opposition from 1984 to 1988 and 1996 to 2011. He was first elected to the then Gibraltar House of Assembly in 1972 and is often referred to as the Father of the House for being the longest-serving parliamentarian in Gibraltar.
The Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) is Gibraltar's public service broadcaster. It has provided the community with a radio and television service since 1962.
Hinduism is a minority faith in Gibraltar followed by 2% of the population. Most of the Hindus in Gibraltar are of Sindhi origin.
Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory and city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula,on the Bay of Gibraltar,near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the Atlantic Ocean. It has an area of 6.8 km2 (2.6 sq mi) and is bordered to the north by Spain. The landscape is dominated by the Rock of Gibraltar,at the foot of which is a densely populated town area,home to some 34,003 people,primarily Gibraltarians.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,transgender,and queer (LGBTQ) rights within the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar have evolved significantly in the past decades. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal since 1993 and the age of consent was equalised to 16 in 2012. The Supreme Court of Gibraltar ruled in April 2013 that same-sex couples have the right to adopt. Civil partnerships have been available to both same-sex and opposite-sex couples since March 2014,and in October 2016,Gibraltar voted to legalise same-sex marriage with the Civil Marriage Amendment Act 2016 passing unanimously in Parliament. The law received royal assent on 1 November and took effect on 15 December 2016.
The law of Gibraltar is a combination of common law and statute,and is based heavily upon English law.
Keith Azopardi is a Gibraltarian lawyer and politician serving as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Gibraltar Social Democrats since 2017.
Neil Francis Costa is a Gibraltarian barrister and politician affiliated to the Liberal Party of Gibraltar (LPG). In December 2011 he was elected an MP to the Gibraltar Parliament and was elected Minister for Tourism,Public Transport,Commercial Affairs and the Port. After the Ministerial reshuffle of December 2014,he became Minister for Business and Employment. In October 2016,he was appointed Minister for Health,Care and Justice. In October 2019,Costa confirmed his decision that he would not seek re-election and returned to work as a barrister.
Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean Sea. During the early days of the British administration,Gibraltar was maintained primarily as a military outpost with limited attention paid to its role as a trading post. Initially long term settlement of Gibraltar was uncertain but as Spain's power waned it became established as an important base for the British Royal Navy. Throughout the 19th century there was conflict between the competing roles of military and trading posts,leading to tensions between the civilian population and the Governor of the day. Some Governors encouraged the development of the civilian role in government,whilst others regarded it as a nuisance. As a result,compared with other former British colonies,civilian Government in Gibraltar emerged largely in the 20th century as the needs of the civilian population were often considered by Governors as subordinate to the needs of the military. Since World War II,Gibraltarians have increasingly asserted their own individual identity. The Rock's relationship with Spain and the sovereignty dispute continues to affect the Politics of Gibraltar to this day.
A by-election was held to the Gibraltar Parliament on 4 July 2013 to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Housing Minister Charles Bruzon in April 2013. The Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party (GSLP),Gibraltar Social Democrats (GSD),Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) and an independent contested the by-election. The Liberal Party of Gibraltar who is in alliance and in Government with the GSLP backed the GSLP's candidate.
Albert Joseph Isola is a Gibraltarian barrister and former politician,member of the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party (GSLP). He was a member of the Gibraltar House of Assembly as part of the Opposition between 1996 and 2000. He later became a Government Minister for Financial Services and Gaming after becoming elected to Parliament in the 2013 by-election. Isola is married and has four children. On 15 September 2023,it was announced that he and fellow party MPs and Ministers,Paul Balban and Samantha Sacramento,would not stand for re-election.
General elections were held in Gibraltar on 26 November 2015 to elect all 17 members to the third Gibraltar Parliament. Chief Minister Fabian Picardo announced the date of the election on Monday 19 October 2015 during a speech on the Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Gibraltar since 15 December 2016. A bill for the legalisation of same-sex marriages was approved by the Parliament on 26 October 2016 and received royal assent on 1 November 2016. Gibraltar was the sixth British Overseas Territory to legalise same-sex marriage,after South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands,Akrotiri and Dhekelia,the British Indian Ocean Territory,the Pitcairn Islands,and the British Antarctic Territory.
The European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2019,also known as the Repeal Bill is an Act of the Gibraltar Parliament announced by Chief Minister Fabian Picardo,that transposed directly-applicable European Union law into the law of Gibraltar as part of the UK's exit from the European Union (Brexit). It has the same effect as the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.
Lesbianism in Gibraltar became legal in 1992.
General elections were held in Gibraltar on 12 October 2023 to elect all 17 members of the fifth Gibraltar Parliament. This was the first election in Gibraltar's history to use an electronic voting count system. The GSLP–Liberal Alliance secured a fourth term in office,though it saw its majority reduced to one seat,whilst the GSD became the sole opposition party,gaining two seats.