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, born on April 24, 1971, is a well-known politician from Papua New Guinea. He has been the leader of Papua New Guinea since May 2019. He is a member of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea, representing the Tari-Pori District in Hela Province since July 2007.
Mr. Marape has 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. He also worked as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2023 to 2024. In the 2022 elections, his party, the Pangu Party, won the most seats. This allowed him to form the government, and he was chosen as Prime Minister without anyone running against him in the new parliament.
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. He studied at the University of Papua New Guinea. In 1993, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. Later, in 2000, he completed a postgraduate Honours Degree in Environmental Science.
Professional Background
Before becoming a politician, Marape worked in management roles. From 1994 to 1995, he was in charge of the PNG Institute of Medical Research in Tari. He then worked as an Operations Manager for GDC at the Hides Gas project from 1996 to 1998. After finishing his honours degree, he became an Acting Assistant Secretary for Policy in the Department of Personnel Management, a role he held from 2001 to 2006.
Political Journey
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James Marape's start in politics was quite eventful. He first tried to win the Tari-Pori seat in the 2002 election. However, voting in his area was cancelled because of widespread violence. He ran again in a special election in 2003 but lost.
He tried for the seat a second time in the 2007 election 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 in parliament. He became the Parliamentary Secretary for Works, Transport, and Civil Aviation. He also served as the Deputy Chair of the Privileges Committee. From December 2008 to August 2011, he was the Minister for Education. During this time, he was a member of Somare's National Alliance Party.
In February 2012, he left the National Alliance Party. He then joined the People's National Congress (PNC), the party of Prime Minister Peter O'Neill. O'Neill appointed him as the Minister of Finance in 2012.
On April 11, 2019, Marape resigned from his role as Minister of Finance. However, he remained a member of the People's National Congress and the government for a short time. He officially left the party on April 29, 2019. Sam Basil took over as Minister for Finance on April 18, 2019.
Becoming Prime Minister
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In May 2019, Peter O'Neill resigned as Prime Minister. This led to a search for a new leader. James Marape gained strong support, with 26 Members of Parliament joining his side. This meant the opposition parties no longer had enough votes to challenge the government.
In the election for the new Prime Minister, Marape received 101 votes, while Mekere Morauta received 8 votes. Marape then became the new Prime Minister. Peter O’Neill had hoped his government would stay the same. However, Marape changed most of the government ministers in November. O'Neill has continued to disagree with Marape, especially about the economy. He points out that Marape was also the Minister of Finance, so he shared responsibility for the country's financial situation.
Challenges to Leadership
On November 10, 2020, Marape faced an attempt to remove him from power. A group of politicians tried to bring a "no confidence" vote against his government. Many members of parliament, including 11 ministers and several former prime ministers, went to a "camp" in Vanimo. They wanted to vote against Marape. In response, Marape started his own "camp" on Loloata island. The competition was very close, as there were 110 elected members of parliament at the time.
Peter O’Neill supported the opposition movement. He took a case to the Supreme Court, arguing that a parliament meeting in November was not legal. The Supreme Court agreed with him, making the decisions from that meeting invalid. The Speaker of Parliament called for a new meeting in December. During this meeting, the opposition tried to bring forward their "no confidence" motion.
However, the "no confidence" vote was never held. On December 16, eighteen Members of Parliament left the opposition and joined Marape's government. This gave the government a strong majority of 70 votes. Sam Basil, who was a former deputy prime minister, returned to the government side. This shift was seen as an attempt by older politicians to regain power. Marape spoke confidently in his New Year's Message, highlighting a change in generations in Papua New Guinea politics. He also said that the older politicians had little to be proud of in their past actions.
Recent Developments
In January 2022, Marape announced plans to end capital punishment in Papua New Guinea. The law allowing capital punishment was removed on January 20, 2022. All prisoners who had been sentenced to death had their sentences changed to life imprisonment.
Marape led the Pangu Party into the 2022 elections. His party won 38 out of 115 seats, making it the largest party. O'Neill's party came in second with 16 seats. Because Marape's party won the most seats, he was able to form the government. He was elected Prime Minister without anyone running against him in 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 "no confidence" motion.
Personal Life
James Marape is a leader of the Huli people, one of the largest tribes in Papua New Guinea. His father was a pastor in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and Marape also follows this faith. He is married to Rachael Marape, who is from East Sepik Province. They have six children together.
When he became Prime Minister, Marape stated that he wants Papua New Guinea to become "the richest black Christian nation" in the world.
See also
In Spanish: James Marape para niños
