Wavel Ramkalawan | |
---|---|
![]() Ramkalawan in 2020 | |
5th President of Seychelles | |
Assumed office 26 October 2020 | |
Vice President | Ahmed Afif |
Preceded by | Danny Faure |
Personal details | |
Born | Mahé,Colony of Seychelles | 15 March 1959
Political party | Linyon Demokratik Seselwa |
Spouse | Linda Ramkalawan |
Children | Three |
Alma mater | St Paul's Theological College University of Birmingham |
Wavel Ramkalawan (born 15 March 1959) is a Seychellois politician and Anglican priest who has been serving as the President of Seychelles since 26 October 2020. Ramkalawan was an opposition MP from 1993 to 2011 and 2016 to 2020. He also served as the Leader of the Opposition from 1998 to 2011 and 2016 to 2020. On 25 October 2020,Ramkalawan won the presidential election,the country's first such victory for an opposition candidate since independence,marking its first successful peaceful transition of power.
Wavel Ramkalawan was born in Mahé,the principal island of Seychelles. He was born into a modest family,the youngest of three children. His great-grandfather was from Bihar,India. [1] His father was a tinsmith while his mother was a teacher. Ramkalawan's primary and secondary education were at Seychelles College,the elite boys' school of the country. [2] Ramkalawan was ordained as a priest in 1985 following theological studies at St Paul's Theological College,Mauritius,and thereafter followed further studies in theology at Birmingham University. [2] Returning to Seychelles,he worked in several parishes in Seychelles,rising to become priest-in-charge of the parish of The Holy Saviour. [3]
In 1990,Ramkalawan came to prominence when he preached a sermon,broadcast on the national radio station,in which he questioned the practices of the one-party government [4] and advocated for greater freedom,respect for human rights,and observance of the rule of law in the country. [2] Although his broadcast was cut,Ramkalawan distributed copies of sermons criticizing the government. At the time,the Catholic and Anglican churches were the only institutions that could speak on social issues,mainly in sermons during weekly services. [5] In 1991,while still a priest,he joined fellow dissidents Roger Mancienne and Jean-François Ferrari to form the underground Parti Seselwa. Ramkalawan became its first leader. [2]
When the government,facing both domestic and international pressure,returned the country to multi-party democracy in 1992,Parti Seselwa was the first political party to register and join the ranks of others in opposition to the government. The party contested the 1992 constitutional commission elections;they polled only 4% of the national vote,failing to qualify for representation on the commission. [5] After the promulgation of the new constitution in 1993,two other opposition parties joined Parti Seselwa to form The United Opposition (UO) and contest the 1993 general elections. The combined party won 9% of the vote,enabling it to appoint one member (Ramkalawan) to the National Assembly. [6]
In 1998,Ramkalawan led his party into the second multi-party general elections. [7] The party polled 27% of the national vote [8] and increased its National Assembly representation to three,beating the Democratic Party of former President James Mancham into third place. Ramkalawan became the first directly elected member of the party in the Assembly,winning his home constituency of St Louis,which he has represented continuously since. In addition,he succeeded Mancham as Leader of the Opposition,a post he held from 1998-2011 and 2016-2020. [9]
In the 2001 presidential elections,Ramkalawan polled 45% of the vote,losing to the 54% vote won by President René. [10] The next year,Ramkalawan led his party,now renamed the Seychelles National Party (SNP),into the National Assembly elections. The party increased its parliamentary representation from one directly elected member to seven and from two proportionally elected members to four. [6]
In 2005,Ramkalawan took a sabbatical from his clerical duties in order to devote himself fully to his political life;he considered this time to be a crucial and important point in the country's affairs. [11] However,Ramkalawan lost to James Michel in the 2006 and 2011 presidential elections. Along with other major opposition parties,Ramakalawan and his party boycotted the 2011 parliamentary elections. [12]
In the 2015 election,Ramkalawan and Michel advanced to a runoff election,which was the first runoff presidential election in Seychelles. Ramkalawan lost with 49.85% of the vote and a 193 votes difference to his opponent Michel. [13]
In the 2020 presidential election,Ramkalawan defeated incumbent president Danny Faure. According to the election commission,he secured 54.9% of the votes cast. [14] [15] The election marked the first peaceful transfer of power to an opposition since independence in 1976. [16]
On 4 November 2020,the additional portfolios of Defence,Legal Affairs,Public Administration,National Planning and National Security were assigned to Ramkalawan. [17]
The politics of Seychelles have historical roots in both one-party socialism and autocratic rule. Following independence from the United Kingdom in 1976,Seychelles was a sovereign republic until 1977,when the original President and leader of the Seychelles Democratic Party,James Mancham,was overthrown in a bloodless coup by the Prime Minister France-Albert René. Renéinstalled a single-party socialist state under the Seychelles People's Progressive Front in 1979 which remained in power until 1993,when multiparty elections took place for the first time since independence,after restoring the multi-party system in 1991. Modern day Seychelles governance takes place in a framework of a presidential republic,whereby the President of Seychelles is both head of state and head of government,and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the National Assembly.
France-Albert René was a Seychellois lawyer,politician and statesman who served as the second President of Seychelles from 1977 to 2004. He also served as the country's second Prime Minister from its independence in 1976 to 1977.
James Alix Michel,GCSK is a Seychellois politician who served as the third President of Seychelles from 2004 to 2016. He previously served as vice president under his predecessor,France-Albert René,from 1996 to 2004.
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The unicameral National Assembly is the Seychelles's legislative body.
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Presidential elections were held in the Seychelles between 28 and 30 July 2006. Incumbent president James Michel of the Seychelles People's Progressive Front was re-elected with 54% of the vote.
The history of Seychelles dates back to the fourth of the Portuguese India Armadas led by Vasco da Gama,though Seychelles was likely already known to Arab navigators and other sailors for many centuries. On 15 March 1503,the scrivener ThoméLopes noted the sighting of an elevated island,doubtless one of the granitic islands and almost certainly Silhouette Island. The first recorded landing was by the men of the English East India Company ship Ascension,which arrived in Seychelles in January 1609. The islands were claimed by France in 1756. Seychelles remained uninhabited until the first settlers arrived on board the ship Thélemaque,which arrived on 27 August 1770. Captain Leblanc Lecore landed the first colonists,comprising 15 white men,eight Africans and five Indians. The Seychellois Creole language developed as a means of communication between the different races. The British frigate Orpheus commanded by Captain Henry Newcome arrived at Mahéon 16 May 1794. Terms of capitulation were drawn up and the next day Seychelles was surrendered to Britain. Following the fall of Mauritius to British forces,Captain Phillip Beaver of the Nisus arrived at Mahéon 23 April 1811 and took possession of Seychelles as a permanent colony of Britain. The Seychelles became an independent republic in 1976. Following a coup d'état,a socialist one-party state ruled the country from 1977 to 1993. The subsequent democratic Presidential elections were won by candidates of the same party.
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General elections were held in the Seychelles between 20 and 22 March 1998. Incumbent President France-Albert Renéand his Seychelles People's Progressive Front won both elections with over 60% of the vote,defeating a divided opposition.
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Presidential elections were held in Seychelles between 3 and 5 December 2015. As no candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the first round,a second round was held between 16 and 18 December. Incumbent President James Michel was re-elected,defeating opposition leader Wavel Ramkalawan by just 193 votes in the second round. Ramkalawan claimed there had been "many irregularities",including vote buying.
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