James Marape facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James Marape
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Marape in 2023
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| 9th Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea | |
| Assumed office 30 May 2019 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II Charles III |
| Governor-General | Sir Bob Dadae |
| Deputy | Davis Steven (2019–2020) Sam Basil (2020–2022) John Rosso (2022–present) |
| Preceded by | Peter O'Neill |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 12 May 2023 – 18 January 2024 |
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| Prime Minister | Himself |
| Preceded by | Justin Tkatchenko |
| Succeeded by | Justin Tkatchenko |
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office August 2012 – 11 April 2019 |
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| Prime Minister | Peter O'Neill |
| Preceded by | Peter O'Neill |
| Succeeded by | Sam Basil |
| Minister for Education | |
| In office 16 December 2008 – 2 August 2011 |
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| Prime Minister | Michael Somare |
| Member of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea | |
| Assumed office 2007 |
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| Preceded by | Tom Tomiape |
| Constituency | Tari-Pori District |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 April 1971 Tari, Southern Highlands Province, Territory of Papua and New Guinea (now Hela Province, Papua New Guinea) |
| Political party | Pangu Party (2019–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
People's National Congress (2012–2019) National Alliance Party (2007) People's Progress Party (2002) |
| Spouse | Rachael Marape |
| Children | 6 |
| Alma mater | University of Papua New Guinea |
James Marape was born on April 24, 1971. He is a well-known politician from Papua New Guinea. Since May 2019, he has been the prime minister of Papua New Guinea. He has also been a member of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea since 2007. He represents the Tari-Pori District in Hela Province.
Before becoming prime minister, Marape held important government jobs. He was the Minister of Education from 2008 to 2011. Later, he served as the Minister of Finance from 2012 to 2019. From 2023 to 2024, he was the Minister of Foreign Affairs. In the 2022 elections, his party, the Pangu Party, won the most seats. This allowed him to form the government again.
Contents
Early Life and Education
James Marape was born in 1971 in Tari, which is now part of Hela Province. He went to Minj Primary School and Kabiufa Adventist Secondary School. These schools are located in the highlands of Papua New Guinea.
In 1993, Marape earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Papua New Guinea. He continued his studies and received an Honours Degree in Environmental Science in 2000.
Before entering politics, Marape worked in management roles. From 1994 to 1995, he was an officer at the PNG Institute of Medical Research. He also worked as an Operations Manager for a gas project. Later, from 2001 to 2006, he was an Acting Assistant Secretary for Policy in the Department of Personnel Management.
Political Journey
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James Marape first tried to become a Member of Parliament in 2002. He ran for the Tari-Pori seat. However, voting in his area was canceled due to violence. He tried again in a special election in 2003 but did not win.
In 2007, Marape ran for the seat a second time and won. He continued to win the Tari-Pori seat in the 2012 and 2017 elections. In 2017, he received more than half of the votes, which is quite rare in Papua New Guinea's voting system.
Early Government Roles
After his win in 2007, Prime Minister Michael Somare gave Marape important roles. He became a Parliamentary Secretary and a Deputy Chair of the Privileges Committee. From December 2008 to August 2011, he served as the Minister for Education. During this time, he was a member of Somare's National Alliance Party.
In 2012, Marape joined the People's National Congress (PNC) party. The new Prime Minister, Peter O'Neill, then appointed him as the Minister of Finance. He held this position until April 2019.
Becoming Prime Minister
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In April 2019, James Marape resigned from his role as Minister of Finance. He later left the People's National Congress party. Peter O'Neill then resigned as Prime Minister in May 2019.
This led to an election for a new Prime Minister. James Marape won this election with a large number of votes. He received 101 votes, while another candidate received 8 votes. After becoming Prime Minister, Marape made some changes to the government.
Challenges and Leadership
In November 2020, Marape faced an attempt to remove him from power. Some members of Parliament tried to bring a vote of no confidence against his government. Many politicians went to different "camps" to gather support. Marape also gathered support from his own group of MPs.
The Supreme Court later ruled that some decisions made during this time were not valid. When Parliament met again, many MPs who were against Marape decided to join his side. This gave his government a strong majority. Marape spoke about a "generational change" in Papua New Guinean politics. He suggested that younger leaders were taking over.
In January 2022, Prime Minister Marape announced plans to end capital punishment (the death penalty) in Papua New Guinea. The law was changed, and all prisoners who had been sentenced to death had their sentences changed to life imprisonment.
2022 Elections and Beyond
Marape led the Pangu Party into the 2022 Papua New Guinean general election. His party won the most seats, securing 38 out of 115. Peter O'Neill's party came in second. As the leader of the party with the most seats, Marape was chosen as Prime Minister without opposition. His new government was also approved by the new Parliament.
In February 2024, Marape became the first leader from a Pacific Islands nation to speak to the Australian Parliament. In September 2024, he successfully survived another attempt to remove him from power through a vote of no confidence.
Personal Life
James Marape is a member and leader of the Huli people. The Huli are one of the largest groups of people in Papua New Guinea. Marape's father was a pastor in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and James Marape also follows this faith.
He is married to Rachael Marape, who comes from East Sepik Province. They have six children together. When he became Prime Minister, Marape shared his vision for Papua New Guinea. He said he wants it to become "the richest black Christian nation" in the world.
See also
In Spanish: James Marape para niños
