René Harris

René Reynaldo Harris ( born November 11, 1947 in Aiwo; † 5 July 2008 Denigomodu ) was a politician and nauruischer four times President of the Republic of Nauru. He was Member of Parliament for Aiwo 1977-2008.

Life

Harris was educated at Geelong College in Victoria, Australia, where he played Football. He was active after returning as president of Nauru Australian Football Association ( NAFA ) and remained an avowed supporter of the local teams Menaida Tigers and sponsored it used to be.

Prior to his election to the Nauruan Parliament Harris worked for the Nauru Phosphate Company ( NPC) and was manager of the Nauru Pacific Line (NPL ). Harris was elected in 1978 as deputy speaker and 1986, the Speaker of Parliament. He was elected chairman of the executive committee of the NPC in 1992.

1998 Harris was convicted of violent liberation of three relative from the prison of the Nauru Police with the help of two accomplices. A correspondent for an Australian television station claimed that Harris should have more than 231,000 A $ output as chairman of the NPC for luxury items, Holiday and a property in Melbourne; Harris had a luxury penthouse suite on the 51st floor of Nauru House in Melbourne.

Harris was first nauruischer President on 27 April 1999 and remained there until April 20, 2000, when Bernard Dowiyogo replaced him. That in turn was replaced on 29 March 2001 by Harris as a result of a vote of no confidence. The situation degenerated into a farce in January 2003, when both occupied the presidency. Dowiyogo finally retained the Presidency, although his death calling another round of uncertainty in March 2003.

Harris was quoted as saying that he gave as a reason for his re- election by the Nauruan Parliament, the Parliamentarians ' saw the light does not " with his predecessor, Ludwig Scotty. Harris succeeded in breaking the complete stop of the government, as he was able in 2003 to discuss the legislation through Parliament. Harris dismissed occupied by Scotty Cabinet and appointed his followers to ministers: derog Yioura became Minister for Women and Family, Marcus Stephen education and finance. Remy Namaduk was appointed Minister of Development, Transport and Industry and Godfrey Thoma for Justice and Minister for Fisheries.

Harris was in Melbourne a monthly dialysis treatment because he was suffering from diabetes. His health was to him the most important because diabetes already ended the life of one of his political opponents, Bernard Dowiyogo. In December 2003, Harris collapsed in the Nauruan Parliament building and was revived by Dr. Kieren Keke.

On 22 June 2004 Harris was deposed in a no-confidence vote by Parliament since Kinza Clodumar, finance minister under Harris, voted against him. Clodumars justification for the page change was that he wanted to avert the threat of Harris dissolution of Parliament. He was re- appointed by Ludwig Scotty, who took over the presidency, as a sign of recognition of the Treasury. Shortly before being voted out, he called the next dissolution of Parliament and new elections. Now sold he feared that the new government would be the Nauru Detention Centre close and thus inhibit the only source of revenue, which could lead to the bankruptcy of the state. By February 2008, the two camps were closed.

Harris ' call for new elections was finally fulfilled: Scotty dissolved parliament in late September 2004. In the early parliamentary elections on 23 October 2004 Harris was indeed re-elected, but lost seven of its opposition group; only Lyn Adam was still re-elected. Four days after the elections, he attacked the election observers from the Pacific Islands Forum, calling them " idiots " because they had assessed the elections as free and fair. Harris said several voices said to have been bought by the government.

Harris was also involved in the Nauruan economic apparatus, especially in the Nauruan phosphate company and the Nauru Pacific Line. His government is responsible for the Nauru Detention Centre, the housing of the Afghan asylum seekers on the island as well as for the accession of Nauru to the United Nations and for the full membership in the Commonwealth. Harris was of the Nauruan opposition party ( Naoero Amo ) and the international community for corruption and human rights violations criticized. In Parliament, he was often supported by Kinza Clodumar and its informal Party Centre Party ( Nauruan Centre Party ).

In August 2007, he was indeed re-elected to Parliament, but his group consisted of only three members. After a months-long political crisis with power struggles between two groups Harris government was not re-elected to re- election in April 2008. In June 2008, his wife died of cancer; July 4, 2008, he suffered a heart attack and died himself the consequences of which on the following morning in the hospital of Denigomodu. On the same day he was buried with a state funeral.

See also: Politics of Nauru, portal: Nauru