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Affiliation | People's Progressive |
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Name | Cheddi Jagan |
Address | , , Guyana |
Email | None |
Website | None |
Born |
March 22, 1918
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Died | March 06, 1997
(78 years)
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Contributor | Thomas Walker |
Last Modifed | Sesel Aug 16, 2012 03:38am |
Tags |
Indian - Married - Removed From Office - Straight -
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Info | Jagan, Cheddi (Berret) (b. March 22, 1918, Plantation Port Mourant, British Guiana [now Guyana] - d. March 6, 1997, Washington, D.C.), president of Guyana (1992-97). He was elected to the British Guianan legislature in 1947. In 1946 he, his wife Janet, and other politicians had set up the Political Affairs Committee, which in early 1950 evolved into the People's Progressive Party (PPP), with himself as leader. In elections held in April 1953 under a new British-granted constitution, the party won 18 of the 24 seats in the colony's Legislative Council and Jagan became premier. His subsequent program of radical socioeconomic reforms led the British - acting at the behest of the United States - to dismiss him from office on Oct. 9, 1953, suspend the new constitution, and send in troops. Jagan and a number of prominent Guyanese were jailed, ostensibly for defying a colonial order restricting movement. In 1955 the PPP split along racial lines, with most of its black members seceding under Forbes Burnham to form the People's National Congress (PNC) and its members of East Indian descent, like Jagan, remaining in the ranks. The PPP won the 1957 elections, and Jagan pursued moderate policies of socioeconomic reform as the new government's minister of trade and industry (there was no prime ministerial position). In the 1961 elections the PPP emerged with a slim majority, and Jagan became premier. His term was marred by a long general strike and by serious rioting. He served as leader of the parliamentary opposition from 1964 and was the PPP's general secretary from 1970. After the PPP won general elections in 1992 he finally became president of Guyana. Long an outspoken Marxist, he now supported free-market economic policies. He died in office.
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