HE
Bernard Annen Auwen Dowiyogo (February 14, 1946 – March 9, 2003) was
PresidentThe president of Nauru is elected by Parliament from amongst its members. He is both the head of state and head of government.-List of Presidents since independence:...
of the Republic of
NauruNauru , officially the Republic of Nauru and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island nation in Micronesia in the South Pacific. Its nearest neighbor is Banaba Island in Kiribati, 300 km to the east...
.
He first became an elected member of Nauru's 18-seat parliament in 1973. Particularly in his earlier years in the
Parliament of NauruThe Parliament of Nauru has 18 members, elected for a three year term in multi-seat constituencies. The President of Nauru is elected by the members of the Parliament.The members of the Parliament of Nauru are elected by a positional voting system....
Dowiyogo was seen as an opponent of
NauruNauru , officially the Republic of Nauru and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island nation in Micronesia in the South Pacific. Its nearest neighbor is Banaba Island in Kiribati, 300 km to the east...
's first post-independence President,
Hammer DeRoburtHE Maggabi "Hammer" DeRoburt, KBE was the founding President of the Republic of Nauru, and ruled the country for most of its first twenty years of independence.-Background and early career:...
.
He served his first term as President from 1976 to 1978 after ousting
Hammer DeRoburtHE Maggabi "Hammer" DeRoburt, KBE was the founding President of the Republic of Nauru, and ruled the country for most of its first twenty years of independence.-Background and early career:...
.
Over the next 25 years, Dowiyogo served as President several times, for periods as long as six years (1989–1995) and as short as 15 days (in November 1996).
HE
Bernard Annen Auwen Dowiyogo (February 14, 1946 – March 9, 2003) was
PresidentThe president of Nauru is elected by Parliament from amongst its members. He is both the head of state and head of government.-List of Presidents since independence:...
of the Republic of
NauruNauru , officially the Republic of Nauru and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island nation in Micronesia in the South Pacific. Its nearest neighbor is Banaba Island in Kiribati, 300 km to the east...
.
Background and early career
He first became an elected member of Nauru's 18-seat parliament in 1973. Particularly in his earlier years in the
Parliament of NauruThe Parliament of Nauru has 18 members, elected for a three year term in multi-seat constituencies. The President of Nauru is elected by the members of the Parliament.The members of the Parliament of Nauru are elected by a positional voting system....
Dowiyogo was seen as an opponent of
NauruNauru , officially the Republic of Nauru and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island nation in Micronesia in the South Pacific. Its nearest neighbor is Banaba Island in Kiribati, 300 km to the east...
's first post-independence President,
Hammer DeRoburtHE Maggabi "Hammer" DeRoburt, KBE was the founding President of the Republic of Nauru, and ruled the country for most of its first twenty years of independence.-Background and early career:...
.
President of Nauru
He served his first term as President from 1976 to 1978 after ousting
Hammer DeRoburtHE Maggabi "Hammer" DeRoburt, KBE was the founding President of the Republic of Nauru, and ruled the country for most of its first twenty years of independence.-Background and early career:...
.
Over the next 25 years, Dowiyogo served as President several times, for periods as long as six years (1989–1995) and as short as 15 days (in November 1996). He was the youngest president in Nauru.
During the 1980s, he sharply criticized
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
and the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for atomic weapons testing in Nauru.
He died in office in March 2003 (having been president on this occasion since January 2003) at George Washington University Hospital in
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790...
from heart complications brought on by his struggle with diabetes, a common ailment on Nauru. At the time of the deterioration of his final illness, he had been engaged in protracted negotiations with the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Government.
Personal legacy
He was one of the youngest heads of state in the world when elected as
President of NauruThe president of Nauru is elected by Parliament from amongst its members. He is both the head of state and head of government.-List of Presidents since independence:...
in 1976, but at his death in 2003 which ended a political career spanning about 30 years he was regarded as something of an elder statesman.
Valdon DowiyogoValdon Kape Dowiyogo is a political figure from the Pacific nation of the Republic of Nauru.-Family and political background:His father, Bernard Dowiyogo, served as President of Nauru on seven occasions between 1976 and 2003...
, son of Bernard Dowiyogo, was appointed Speaker of the
Parliament of NauruThe Parliament of Nauru has 18 members, elected for a three year term in multi-seat constituencies. The President of Nauru is elected by the members of the Parliament.The members of the Parliament of Nauru are elected by a positional voting system....
in 2005.