James Mancham

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James Mancham (2014)

Sir James Richard Marie Mancham KBE (born August 11, 1939 in Victoria , † January 8, 2017 in Glacis ) was a Seychellois politician . Chief Minister from 1970, he was the first President of the Seychelles from 1976 to 1977 .

Early years

Mancham studied law in London and Paris . In 1964 he founded the conservative Seychelles Democratic Party (SDP) in the Seychelles , which won the first general election in 1967. He earned his living as a lawyer, journalist, writer and businessman.

In November 1970 he became Chief Minister of the archipelago still colonized by Great Britain after his party's renewed election victory. He retained office when the islands became autonomous in 1975. For a long time, some people were opposed to the independence of the Seychelles for economic reasons, but then strove for it. In order to provide the islands with an economic basis, he relied on the development of tourism.

president

On June 29, 1976 he became the first president of the now sovereign state, and he appointed the chairman of the socialist SPUP, France-Albert René , as his successor . During a visit to Mancham in London on the occasion of a summit conference of the Commonwealth , René deposed him on June 5, 1977 and ruled the country until 2004.

Exile and return

Mancham remained in exile in England and opposed his successor. When it came to coup attempts against René in the following years , so on November 25, 1981 under the leadership of "Mad" Mike Hoare , his name was mentioned, whereby his exact role remained in the dark.

After René had withdrawn from the one-party state , Mancham returned in 1992 and became a member of the newly established constitutional commission together with René. In July 1993 he ran unsuccessfully for the presidency. With 36.72% of the vote, he reached second place. In March 1998 he made a new attempt, but only came third with 13.8% of the vote. In 2001 he decided not to run. With the emergence of new parties, he lost his importance as an opposition leader.

Works

  • James R. Mancham: War on America: Seen from the Indian Ocean. Paragon House Publishers 2002, ISBN 1557788154 .

literature

  • Fischer World Almanac - Biographies on Contemporary History since 1945. Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1985, ISBN 3596245532 .

Web links

Commons : James Mancham  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Sir James Mancham died: Seychelles Founding President passed away . ( Memento of January 8, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) eTurboNews, January 8, 2017, accessed on January 8, 2017 (English).
personal data
SURNAME Mancham, James
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Mancham, James Richard Marie
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Seychellois politician and president
DATE OF BIRTH August 11, 1939
PLACE OF BIRTH Victoria
DATE OF DEATH January 8, 2017
PLACE OF DEATH Glacis (Seychelles)