Prithvirajsing Roopun

Prithvirajsing Roopun (Mauritian Creole pronunciation: [pʁithviʁajsiŋ ʁoopun]) GCSK (born 24 May 1959), also known as Pradeep Roopun/ Madam speaker Sir , is a Mauritian politician serving as the President of Mauritius since 2019.[1]

His Excellency Prithvirajsing Roopun GCSK
Roopun in 2017
President of Mauritius
Incumbent
Assumed office 2 December 2019
Prime Minister	Pravind Jugnauth
Vice President	Eddy Boissezon
Preceded by	Ameenah Gurib Barlen Vyapoory (Acting)
Minister of Arts and Culture
In office 24 January 2017 – 12 November 2019
President	Ameenah Gurib (Acting) Barlen Vyapoory
Preceded by	Dan Babboo
Succeeded by	Avinash Teeluck
In office 21 December 2016 – 23 January 2017
President	Kailash Purryag Ameenah Gurib
Preceded by	Seewoosagur Ramgoolam
Succeeded by	Navin Ramgoolam
Minister of Social Integration and Economic Empowerment
In office 15 December 2014 – 24 January 2017
President	Ameenah Gurib
Prime Minister	Anerood Jugnauth Pravind Jugnauth
Succeeded by	Alain Wong
3rd Member of Parliament for Constituency No. 9 (Flacq and Bon Accueil)
In office 5 May 2010 – 7 November 2019
Preceded by	Dharam Gokhool
Succeeded by	Vikram Hurdoyal
Personal details
Born	24 May 1959 Quatre Bornes, British Mauritius
Political party	Militant Socialist Movement (1983–2019)
Children	4
Residence	State House
Profession	Attorney

Early life, education, career and family life

Prithvirajsing Roopun was born in Quatre Bornes and grew up in Morcellement St. Jean, a suburb of Quatre Bornes. He attended secondary school at New Eton College in Rose Hill and worked as Mathematics teacher at Eden College. He has been qualified and admitted to practice as an Attorney at Law since 1986. Mr Roopun is a holder of a Masters Degree in International Business Law (LLM), University of Central Lancashire, UK.

Since 1989 and for over fifteen years, H.E Roopun has been a member of the board of examiner of the Council of Legal Education. He also lectured at the Faculty of Law of the University of Mauritius.

He is married to Sayukta Roopun. Their daughters are Divya, Jyotsna, Adishta and Vedisha. [2]

Political career

Mr Roopun joined politics in 1983 and stood as candidate for the first time in 1995. He was elected in Constituency No. 14, Savanne and Black River in the 2000 General Election to serve the Legislative Assembly as Deputy Chief Government Whip until 2004. In 2005, he was appointed as Minister of Local Government and Solid Waste Management.

H.E Roopun was elected in Constituency No. 9, Flacq and Bon Accueil in the 2010 General Election. He was the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Mauritius between 2010 and 2012.

He also represented Mauritius as Member of the Pan African Parliament from 2010 to 2014, where he was Deputy Chair of the Committee of Transport, Industry, Communications, Energy, Science and Technology.

From December 2014 to January 2017, H.E Roopun served as Minister of Social Integration and Economic Empowerment having as major responsibility the eradication of extreme poverty and the empowerment of the vulnerable groups. During his tenure, a Marshall Plan Against Poverty was elaborated with the support of the UNDP; and a scheme providing for a subsistence allowance for families living in extreme poverty was introduced.

From January 2017 to November 2019, he served as Minister of Arts and Culture. During his tenure of office as Minister of Arts and Culture, he chaired the UNESCO 13th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage during which Reggae music of Jamaica was inscribed on the Representative List.

Nomination as President of Mauritius

Although he was not a candidate at the 2019 General Elections, soon after he was nominated as the 7th President of Mauritius by the National Assembly on 2 December 2019 and was sworn in on the same day.[3][4][5]

Controversies

On 11 February 2020 one of the motorcycle policemen, who generally accompany the president's limousine and ensure its clear passage through congested traffic, was seriously hurt when he came off his motorcycle at high speed and in wet weather at Trianon. This prompted a debate about the unnecessary risks that police have to bear in order for politicians to travel on Mauritian roads.[6] At the end of February 2020 the Indian press reported that President Roopun and his family were stopped for carrying excess baggage in Varanasi, India when he was on a private trip. He had to pay extra charges before proceeding with his visit.[7]

Awards and decorations

•  Mauritius:
  • Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean (GCSK)

References

1. Arora, Sumit. "Pritivirajsing Roopun elected as new President of Mauritius by parliament". Retrieved 4 December 2019.
2. "Pradeep Roopun, un président qui aime s'occuper de son jardin". L'Express. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
3. "Communiqué" (PDF). Mauritius: Office of the President, State House. 2 December 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
4. "Ex-minister Roopun is Mauritian president".
5. AFP (2 December 2019). "Mauritius installs ex-culture minister as president". Business Standard India. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
6. "Motard percuté à Trianon: grièvement blessé, le policier admis à l'ICU". lexpress.mu. L'Express. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
7. "Mauritius president stopped at Varanasi airport over excess luggage". hindustantimes.com. Hindustan Times. Retrieved 29 February 2020.