the fourth President of Mauritius. “Anerood Jugnauth is one of the best presidents that we have had up to now,” - says Jocelyn Forget one of the most famous lawyers of Mauritius. And this is not a personal opinion.
Background
The fourth President of Mauritius Anerood Jugnauth who was elected on October 7, 2003, comes from an Indian family of small planters. He was born on March 29, 1930 in the city of Palma, where he received his primary and secondary education. From 1951 to 1954, he studied law in Britain, and returning home, he taught at the college, and later he worked as a clerk in the Judicial Department.
Education
He had his primary education at Palma Primary School and had his secondary education at Regent College.
Career
The first step in Jugnauth’s political career was his election as an MP from the Independent Forward Block in 1963. The next year the voters from his hometown Palm trust to Anerood Jugnauth the post of a chairman in the city council. In a year he was appointed to the post of state Minister for Development, and in a year - Minister of Labor. At the same time as a member of the Government of Mauritius Anerood Jugnauth took part in the London Constitutional Conference on Mauritius.
In April 1967, Jugnauth left the government service (opens a private law firm), but not out of politics. During that period, he joins "The Mauritian Militant Movement" and becomes its leader. In 1982, at the elections to the Legislative Assembly his party wins with an impressive result, getting in parliament almost all places. Anerood Jugnauth becomes the Prime Minister of the country for five years, and holds office until the victory in the presidential elections in 2003.
MAURITIUS - "CYBER-ISLAND"
From the first days working as prime-minister Anerood Jugnauth had to face very serious challenges - from grinding poverty, rising unemployment and inflation, with the relations in society strained on this basis . On the island, where a lot of races, cultures and religions from 3 continents intertwined in the tight ball, an explosive situation shaped. Anerood Jugnauth as a determined and energetic man, with an innovative way of thinking, began to act.
As the prime-minister and then the president of Mauritius, he was able to conduct a number of economic reforms, which led the country to a new level of development. Since 1994 all forms of control over foreign exchange transactions, and investors who can import and export the currency freely, began actively invest in Mauritian economy. Free economic zones became the centers of capital attraction, the number of which is growing, because their development is still encouraged by the president. He managed to make a port infrastructure modern and began to implement one of his most ambitious projects. The purpose of which is to transform Mauritius into a cyber- island, where it is supposed to gather the best experts in the field of programming and advanced computer technology.
Anerood Jugnauth pursues an active foreign policy aimed at strengthening the position of the state in the world. In 2000 he claimed the Chagos Archipelago as part of its territory, once illegally seized by Britain - the former colonial ruler of the island. This archipelago is located in the middle of the Indian Ocean consisting of many tiny islands, has not only an important economic (due to large stocks of fish), but also the strategic importance. That is why the UK split Chagos from Mauritius, and for half a century it leased the island to the U.S. Today on the associated to the archipelago island Diego Garcia one of the largest American naval and air bases is located. But, unfortunately, just Mauritius demands for the returning of Chagos, supported by many countries of the world, are still unsatisfied, despite the fact that in 1983 the country's parliament passed a law where claimed archipelago the Mauritian territory.
Anerood Jugnauth isn’t able to succeed in everything: the problem of unemployment is still relevant, and the International Monetary Fund expressed its concern about this. The domestic debt of the country is still growing.
The President of Mauritius is married and has two children and four grandchildren. His son Pravind followed in his father's footsteps, he serves as deputy prime minister, performing the duties of the Minister of Finance and Economic Development of Mauritius.