Dharam Gokhool
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Dharambeer Gokhool (born 25 October 1949) is a Mauritian politician who is the
President of Mauritius The president of the Republic of Mauritius () is the head of state of the Republic of Mauritius. Mauritius is a parliamentary republic, and the president functions as a ceremonial figurehead, elected by the National Assembly as set out by the ...
since 6 December 2024.


Early life and education

Gokhool was born on 25 October 1949 in the village of Plaine des Roches, Mauritius. He is from the
Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
Indo-Mauritian Indo-Mauritians are Mauritians who trace their ethnic ancestry to the Republic of India or other parts of the Indian subcontinent in South Asia now known as Nepal and Pakistan. History During the administration of the French East India Compa ...
community. He attended Roches Noires Government School, where he was considered an exceptional student, and then Mapou Government School. In 1975 he graduated with an
MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...
degree from
Faculty of Management Studies – University of Delhi Faculty of Management Studies – University of Delhi (FMS Delhi or The Red Building of Dreams) is a leading business school located in New Delhi, India. It was established in 1954 under the umbrella of the University of Delhi and is often cit ...
in
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. After his studies there, he returned to Mauritius and became a member of the staff at the
University of Mauritius The University of Mauritius (UoM) () is the national university of Mauritius. It is the oldest and largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and the curriculum offered. The public university's main campus is located at Réd ...
, serving several positions including lecturer, associate professor and dean of the faculty.


Career

Gokhool began his political career in 1976. In 1980, he joined the
Mauritian Militant Movement The Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM; ) is a left-wing socialist political party in Mauritius. The party was founded by a group of students in the late 1960s. The MMM advocates a fairer society, without discrimination on the basis of social clas ...
(MMM) party. In 1982, he won election to 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 ...
as part of the MMM/ Mauritius Socialist Party (PSM) alliance which won a landslide victory that year. After the MMM and PSM split, Gokhool stayed with the MMM and ran for re-election in
1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...
, but lost his bid for the Piton-Rivière-du-Rempart seat. In
1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...
, he returned to the legislature by winning a seat under the MMM/
Militant Socialist Movement The Militant Socialist Movement (, MSM) is a centre-left political party in Mauritius. It was the single largest political party in the National Assembly of Mauritius, having won 42 of the 69 seats in the 2019 general elections; however, follow ...
(MSM) alliance. However, during his term he defected to the Labour Party. Gokhool also served as the mayor of the town
Vacoas-Phoenix Vacoas-Phoenix () also known as French language, French: ''Villes Jumelles'' (Twin Cities), is a town in Mauritius, located in the Plaines Wilhems District, the eastern part also lies in the Moka District. The town is administered by the Municipal ...
from 1991 to 1993. He was a parliamentary private secretary from 1993 to 1994 and after joining the Labour Party, served as the party's administrative secretary in 2003, then was the secretary general from 2004 to 2005. During the administration of
Navin Ramgoolam Navinchandra Ramgoolam (born 14 July 1947) is a Mauritian politician and physician who is the current prime minister of Mauritius, serving since 2024. He previously held the office from 1995 to 2000 and from 2005 to 2014 and intermittently serve ...
, Gokhool served as Minister of Education from 2005 to 2008. Following that, he became the Minister of Industry, Science and Research and held that role from 2008 to 2010. After the
2014 elections * 2014 United Nations Security Council election 16 October 2014 Africa * 2014 Algerian presidential election 17 April 2014 * 2014 Botswana general election 24 October 2014 * 2014 Comorian presidential election 21 February and 10 April 2014 * 2014 ...
, he was a candidate for vice president, although he was not chosen for the position.


Nomination as president of Mauritius

In the
2024 elections This is a list of elections that were held in 2024. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. *2024 United Nations Security Council election *2024 national electoral calendar *2024 local electoral ...
, Gokhool was a candidate for
President of Mauritius The president of the Republic of Mauritius () is the head of state of the Republic of Mauritius. Mauritius is a parliamentary republic, and the president functions as a ceremonial figurehead, elected by the National Assembly as set out by the ...
and was unanimously elected by members of the National Assembly and awarded as the Grand Commander of the
Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * ...
. In the same session,
Robert Hungley Jean Robert Yvan Hungley (born 15 February 1957) is a Mauritian politician who has been Vice-President of Mauritius since 7 December 2024. Early life He was born on 15 February 1957 in Rose Hill. He worked in Mauritius Docks. Career He was ele ...
was elected as his
vice president A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...
.


Presidency

In 11 March 2025, Indian PM
Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...
arrived in Mauritius and visited the
State House State House or statehouse may refer to: Buildings *Aso Villa or State House, the official residence of the President of Nigeria *Government House, Dominica or The State House, the official residence of the President of Dominica * State House, Bar ...
and gifted Gokhool gangajal from the
2025 Prayag Maha Kumbh Mela The 2025 Prayag Maha Kumbh Mela was the most recent iteration of the Kumbh Mela, a Hindu pilgrimage festival that marked a full orbital revolution of Jupiter around the Sun. It was scheduled from 13 January to 26 February 2025, at the Triveni San ...
, '' makhana'', and an OCI card. Dharam Gokhool also showed Narendra Modi the Ayurvedic garden at the State House. PM
Navin Ramgoolam Navinchandra Ramgoolam (born 14 July 1947) is a Mauritian politician and physician who is the current prime minister of Mauritius, serving since 2024. He previously held the office from 1995 to 2000 and from 2005 to 2014 and intermittently serve ...
also attended the State House.


Awards and decorations

* ** Grand Commander of the
Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gokhool, Dharam Mauritian people of Indian descent 1949 births Living people Mauritian Hindus Mauritian politicians of Indian descent Delhi University alumni University of Mauritius Mauritian Militant Movement politicians Labour Party (Mauritius) politicians Government ministers of Mauritius Presidents of Mauritius People with Overseas Citizenship of India