Wavel Ramkalawan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Wavel Ramkalawan
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Ramkalawan in 2020
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| 5th President of Seychelles | |
| Assumed office 26 October 2020 |
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| Vice President | Ahmed Afif |
| Preceded by | Danny Faure |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 March 1961 Mahé, Colony of Seychelles |
| Political party | Linyon Demokratik Seselwa |
| Spouse | Linda Ramkalawan |
| Children | Three |
| Alma mater | St Paul's Theological College University of Birmingham |
Wavel Ramkalawan was born on March 15, 1961. He is a politician from Seychelles and also an Anglican priest. Since October 26, 2020, he has been serving as the President of Seychelles.
Before becoming president, Ramkalawan was a Member of Parliament (MP) for the opposition party from 1993 to 2011 and again from 2016 to 2020. He also served as the Leader of the Opposition during those times. On October 25, 2020, Ramkalawan won the presidential election. This was a very important moment for Seychelles. It was the first time an opposition candidate won the presidency since the country became independent. It also marked the first time power was peacefully transferred from one political group to another.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Wavel Ramkalawan was born in 1961 on Mahé, which is the main island of Seychelles. He grew up in a humble family and was the youngest of three children. His great-grandfather came from Bihar, India. His father worked as a tinsmith, and his mother was a teacher.
Ramkalawan went to Seychelles College for his primary and secondary education. This was a well-known school for boys in the country. After his studies, he became a priest in 1985. He studied theology at St Paul's Theological College in Mauritius and later at Birmingham University in the United Kingdom. When he returned to Seychelles, he worked in several churches. He eventually became the priest in charge of The Holy Saviour parish.
Speaking Out for Change
In 1990, Wavel Ramkalawan became well-known for his strong beliefs. He gave a sermon, which is a speech during a church service, that was broadcast on the national radio station. In his sermon, he questioned the way the government was running the country. At that time, Seychelles was a one-party state, meaning only one political party was allowed to be in power.
Ramkalawan spoke about the need for more freedom, respect for human rights, and fair laws. Even though his broadcast was cut off, he continued to share copies of his sermons that criticized the government. Back then, the Catholic and Anglican churches were some of the only groups that could openly talk about social issues. In 1991, while still a priest, he joined other people who wanted change, like Roger Mancienne and Jean-François Ferrari. Together, they formed a secret political group called Parti Seselwa. Ramkalawan became its first leader.
Becoming an Opposition Leader
The government of Seychelles eventually faced pressure from both inside the country and from other nations. Because of this, they decided to bring back multi-party democracy in 1992. This meant that more than one political party could exist and compete in elections. Parti Seselwa was the first political party to officially register.
In the 1992 elections for a special commission to write a new constitution, Ramkalawan's party only received 4% of the votes. This was not enough for them to have a representative on the commission. However, after the new constitution was put in place in 1993, two other opposition parties joined Parti Seselwa. They formed a group called The United Opposition (UO). In the 1993 general elections, their combined party won 9% of the vote. This allowed them to appoint one member to the National Assembly, and that member was Wavel Ramkalawan.
In 1998, Ramkalawan led his party into the next general elections. His party received 27% of the national vote and gained three seats in the National Assembly. They even did better than the Democratic Party led by former President James Mancham. Ramkalawan became the first person from his party to be directly elected to the Assembly. He won the election in his home area of St Louis, which he has represented ever since. He also took over from James Mancham as the Leader of the Opposition. He held this important role from 1998 to 2011 and again from 2016 to 2020.
In the 2001 presidential elections, Ramkalawan received 45% of the votes, but he lost to President René, who won 54%. The next year, Ramkalawan led his party, which was now called the Seychelles National Party (SNP), in the elections for the National Assembly. His party increased its number of directly elected members from one to seven, and its proportionally elected members from two to four.
In 2005, Ramkalawan took a break from his duties as a priest to focus completely on his political life. He felt this was a very important time for the country. However, he lost to James Michel in the 2006 and 2011 presidential elections. Along with other major opposition parties, Ramkalawan and his party decided not to take part in the 2011 parliamentary elections.
In the 2015 election, Ramkalawan and Michel went to a second round of voting, which was a first for Seychelles. Ramkalawan lost by a very small margin, getting 49.85% of the vote, with only 193 votes less than his opponent, Michel.
Becoming President
In the 2020 presidential election, Wavel Ramkalawan finally won! He defeated the president at the time, Danny Faure. According to the election commission, Ramkalawan received 54.9% of all the votes. This election was a historic moment for Seychelles. It marked the first time there was a peaceful transfer of power to an opposition party since the country gained independence in 1976.
On November 4, 2020, President Ramkalawan was also given control over several important government areas. These included Defence, Legal Affairs, Public Administration, National Planning, and National Security.
See also
In Spanish: Wavel Ramkalawan para niños
