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Baron Divavesi Waqa (; born 31 December 1959) is a
Nauru
Nauru ( or ; na, Naoero), officially the Republic of Nauru ( na, Repubrikin Naoero) and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in Oceania, in the Central Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in K ...
an politician who was the 14th President of Nauru
The president of Nauru is elected by Parliament from among its members, and is both the head of state and the head of government of Nauru. Nauru's unicameral Parliament has 19 members, with an electoral term of 3 years. Political parties only p ...
from 11 June 2013 until 27 August 2019. He previously served as Minister of Education from 2004 to 2007.
Political role
Waqa was elected in the May 2003 elections to theParliament of Nauru
The Parliament of Nauru has 19 members, elected for a three-year term in multi-seat constituencies. The President of Nauru is elected by the members of the Parliament.
, representing the constituency of Boe. Under President Ludwig Scotty, he served as Minister of the Interior and of Education; however, he had to leave the post upon Scotty's replacement by René Harris
René Reynaldo Harris (11 November 1947 – 5 July 2008) was President of the Republic of Nauru four times between 1999 and 2004. He was a Member of Parliament from 1977 to 2008.Kieren Keke,
Grand Cordon of the Order of Brilliant Jade (March 2019)
David Adeang
David Waiau Adeang (born 24 November 1969) is a Nauruan politician, former Speaker of the Parliament of Nauru, and Nauru's Minister of Finance and Justice, as well as the Minister Assisting the President of Nauru. He is a founding member of the ...
and Fabian Ribauw participated in protests at the Nauru International Airport
Nauru International Airport is the sole airport in the Republic of Nauru. The airport connects to other island nations, served by Nauru's national airline, Nauru Airlines.
History
The airstrip was built during the World War II Japanese oc ...
in Yaren; these were meant to show displeasure regarding government policy against Afghan asylum-seekers in Australia and the Flotilla of Hope, as well as against the deadlock then encountered in Parliament. All four faced up to fourteen years in jail because of their participation in the protest; charges were dropped, however, upon Scotty's re-ascension the following June. Scotty once again appointed Waqa to be Minister of Education.
Waqa remained loyal to his Administration during the ministerial crisis which occurred in 2007. Consequently, Waqa was not invited to serve in the subsequent Administration of President Marcus Stephen which later took office.
Waqa was elected president in June, defeating former Finance Minister and opposition nominee Roland Kun by a vote of 13 to 5. He was chosen by the government faction after President Dabwido stepped aside to allow for Waqa's election so that government members could remain in power.
In January 2014, he survived a vote of confidence
A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...
over his deportation of the Australian resident magistrate Peter Law and the cancelling of the visa of the Chief Justice Geoffrey Eames, also an Australian national. The government also sought to draft an emergency rule law with the help of Fijian lawyers. It followed the dismissal of the parliamentary counsel Katy Le Roy and the subsequent resignation of the Solicitor-General Steven Bliim, both of whom were Australian. Home Minister Charmaine Scotty said this was symptomatic of a "system of cronyism" operated by Australian expatriates who he said were in league with the opposition.
In 2019 Nauruan parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Nauru on 24 August 2019. President Baron Waqa lost his seat in Boe Constituency, making him ineligible for a third term. Following the elections, Lionel Aingimea was elected President, winning a parliamentary ...
he lost his parliamentary seat and his bid to be re-elected in the office.
Honors and awards
*: ** Grand Cordon of the Order of Brilliant Jade (March 2019)
Personal life
Baron Waqa did his B.A. and M.A. fromUniversity of Wisconsin
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...
and his LL.B. from University of Guinea. He is married to Louisa Waqa. They have adopted one child together, named Barron Stephenson.
See also
*Politics of Nauru
The politics of Nauru take place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Nauru is the head of government of the executive branch. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the ...
*List of foreign ministers in 2017
This is a list of foreign ministers in 2017. Africa
*
*#Ramtane Lamamra (2013–2017)
*# Abdelkader Messahel (2017–2019)
* -
*#Georges Rebelo Chicoti (2010–2017)
*#Manuel Domingos Augusto (2017–2020)
* - Aurélien Agbénonci (2016–pres ...
*List of current foreign ministers
This is a list of current foreign ministers of the 193 United Nations member states as well as the Holy See (Vatican City) and the State of Palestine.
Foreign ministers of sovereign countries with limited recognition, some alternative governm ...
References
External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Waqa, Baron 1959 births Government ministers of Nauru Living people Members of the Parliament of Nauru Nauruan composers People from Boe District Presidents of Nauru Foreign Ministers of Nauru 21st-century Nauruan politicians University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Education ministers of Nauru