Joseph Belmont (1 June 1947 – 28 January 2022) was a

Seychellois This article is about the demographic features of the population of Seychelles, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. About ...

politician who was the Vice President of the Seychelles from 14 July 2004 until his retirement on 30 June 2010. He took office after

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

France-Albert René France-Albert René (; 16 November 1934 – 27 February 2019) was a Seychellois lawyer, politician and statesman who served as the second President of Seychelles from 1977 to 2004. He also served as the country's 2nd Prime Minister from its in ...

stepped down and the previous Vice-President,

James Michel James Alix Michel, GCSK (born August 16, 1944) is a Seychellois politician and the former President of Seychelles from year 2004 to 2016. He previously served as Vice-President under his predecessor, France-Albert René, from 1996 to 2004. Mi ...

, replaced René as President. Belmont was one of the leading members of the Seychelles People’s Progressive Front (SPPF).

Life and career

Belmont was born on 1 June 1947 in Grand Anse on the island of Mahé. He studied agronomic engineering at the

University of Madagascar The University of Madagascar was the former name of the centralized public university system in Madagascar, although the original branch in Antananarivo is still sometimes called by that name. The system traces its history to 16 December 1955, an ...

Antananarivo Antananarivo ( French: ''Tananarive'', ), also known by its colonial shorthand form Tana, is the capital and largest city of Madagascar. The administrative area of the city, known as Antananarivo-Renivohitra ("Antananarivo-Mother Hill" or "An ...

, graduating in 1970. He then completed a

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

in Tropical Agricultural Development from the

University of Reading The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...

in 1975.Page on Belmont at Seychellois State House website
. Belmont was Minister for Labour and Social Security from 1982 to 1985. During the subsequent ten years, he was Minister of Manpower and Social Services on two occasions, as well as Minister of Health and Social Services and Minister of Administration and Manpower. He was Second Designated Minister and Minister for Administration and Manpower from 1993 to 1996, then became Designated Minister and Minister for Administration and Manpower in 1996. After serving as Minister for Industries and International Business from 1998 to 1999, he was moved to the position of Minister of Housing and Land Use in a December 1999 cabinet reshuffle. After four years in the latter position, he was appointed Minister of Tourism and Transport in January 2004; soon afterward, in April 2004, he became Vice-President, while also holding the Tourism, Transport and Public Administration portfolios. Later, he was assigned the portfolios of Internal Affairs, Public Administration and Tourism. In 1992, Belmont served as the chairman of the new

constitutional commission Many entities have been called a Constitutional Commission with the general purpose of reviewing a constitution, or planning to create one. Afghanistan *Afghan Constitution Commission ** Timeline of the War in Afghanistan (August 2003) * Reigns ...

. In the July 2006 presidential election, in which Michel was victorious, Belmont ran as his vice-presidential candidate.

Later life and death

Belmont retired in 2010 from politics. He was succeeded as vice president by

Danny Faure Danny Faure (born 8 May 1962) is a Seychellois politician who was President of Seychelles from 16 October 2016 until 26 October 2020. Previously, he served as Vice President of Seychelles from 2010 to 2016. Faure is a member of the United Seychell ...

. Belmont died at a hospital in Victoria, on 28 January 2022, at the age of 74.

Honours

''Officier'',

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

(22 May 2000)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Belmont, Joseph 1947 births 2022 deaths People from Grand'Anse Mahé United Seychelles Party politicians Vice-presidents of Seychelles Alumni of the University of Reading University of Antananarivo alumni Officiers of the Légion d'honneur