Bernard Annen Auwen Dowiyogo (14 February 1946 – 9 March 2003) was a

Nauru Nauru ( or ; na, Naoero), officially the Republic of Nauru ( na, Repubrikin Naoero) and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in Oceania, in the Central Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Ki ...

an politician who served as

President of Nauru The president of Nauru is elected by Parliament from among its members, and is both the head of state and the head of government of Nauru. Nauru's unicameral Parliament has 19 members, with an electoral term of 3 years. Political parties only p ...

on seven separate occasions. During this time, he also served as a

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for the constituency of Ubenide.

Background and early career

Dowiyogo was born in Nauru on 14 February 1946. He first became an elected member of Nauru's 18-seat parliament in 1973. Particularly in his earlier years in the

Parliament of Nauru The Parliament of Nauru has 19 members, elected for a three-year term in multi-seat constituencies. The President of Nauru is elected by the members of the Parliament.

Dowiyogo was seen as an opponent of

's first post-independence President,

Hammer DeRoburt Hammer DeRoburt (25 September 1922 – 15 July 1992) was the first President of the Republic of Nauru, and ruled the country for most of its first twenty years of independence. Background and early career Born in 1922, DeRoburt was the g ...

. Dowiyogo founded the Nauru Institute of Media and Communications which operated between 1984 and 1996 but due to financial difficulties was closed in 1997.

President of Nauru

He served his first term as President from 1976 to 1978 after ousting

. Over the next 25 years, Dowiyogo served as President several times, for periods as long as six years (1989–1995) and as short as 8 days (in January 2003). He was the youngest president in Nauru. During the 1980s, he sharply criticized

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and the United States for

atomic weapon A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bom ...

s testing in Nauru. In 1990, Dowiyogo was awarded the

New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal The New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal was a commemorative medal awarded in New Zealand in 1990 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, and was awarded to approximately 3,000 people. Background The New Zea ...

. Dowiyogo closed Nauru's offshore banks in 2003 when the US alleged they were used for moneylaundering.

Death

He died in office in March 2003 (having been president on this occasion since January 2003) at

George Washington University Hospital The George Washington University Hospital is a for-profit hospital, located in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is affiliated with the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. The current facility opened on ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

from heart complications brought on by his struggle with

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

, 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 States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Government.

Family

Dowiyogo had eight children with his wife, Christina Dowiyogo (died March 2008): Clara Augusta Alefaio (née Dowiyogo) who served at the Nauru education Department but now resides in New Zealand Valdon Kape Dowiyogo, who served as Speaker of the Parliament of Nauru, Jesaulenko Dowiyogo, who served as diplomat and later Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Nauru Fisheries and Marine Resources Authority, Junior Dowiyogo who served as Commissioner for Police in the Nauru Police Force Peter Jason Dowiyogo who worked at the Nauru Post Office, David Dowiyogo who is employed at the Republic of Nauru Hospital Jeff Dowiyogo who currently resides in Australia Zita Dowiyogo who now Serves at the Nauru Immigration Office.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dowiyogo, Bernard 1946 births 2003 deaths Deaths from diabetes Democratic Party of Nauru politicians Members of the Parliament of Nauru Nauruan politicians of Japanese descent Nauruan people of i-Kiribati descent Presidents of Nauru Finance Ministers of Nauru 20th-century Nauruan politicians 21st-century Nauruan politicians