Freddie Pitcher
| Freddie Pitcher | |
|---|---|
| President of Nauru | |
|
In office 10 November 2011 – 15 November 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | Marcus Stephen |
| Succeeded by | Sprent Dabwido |
| Member of the Nauruan Parliament for Ubenide |
|
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In office 23 October 2004 – 8 June 2013 |
|
| Preceded by | Russell E. Kun |
| Succeeded by | Ranin Akua |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 February 1967 |
| Political party | Nauru First |
| Alma mater | Macquarie University |
Frederick William "Freddie" Pitcher (born 5 February 1967) is a Nauruan political figure. In December 2007, Pitcher was appointed Finance Minister of Nauru, to serve in the Administration of President Marcus Stephen.
Pitcher became the President of Nauru on 10 November 2011, following the resignation of his predecessor, former President Marcus Stephen. He lost a parliamentary vote of confidence and lost the presidency on 15 November 2011 after only 6 days in power.
Educated in Australia, where Pitcher also has many family connections, he was viewed as a young reformist during the preceding Administration of President Ludwig Scotty, and was perceived as close to Kieren Keke, who joined the Stephen Administration as Foreign Minister. Pitcher was elected to the Parliament of Nauru in 2004, and served in the second Administration of President Ludwig Scotty.
On coming to office, as Finance Minister, Pitcher inherited the burden of the austerity measures associated with the outgoing Scotty Administration.
In March 2008, the speaker of the Parliament of Nauru, David Adeang, attempted to have Pitcher expelled from Parliament, by summoning a Parliamentary session, allegedly without informing members of the government, which resulted in the passing of a law forbidding Members of Parliament to hold dual citizenship. President Stephen argued that the law was unconstitutional; Adeang said it was not. On 28 March, Adeang ordered Pitcher and another minister, Kieren Keke, to vacate their seats in Parliament, since they both hold dual Nauruan and Australian citizenship. The two ministers refused to do so, and Adeang suspended the sitting.
On 10 November 2011, incumbent Nauru President Marcus Stephen resigned from the presidency amid corruption allegations. Opposition MPs had accused Stephen of seeking to illegally profit from a phosphate deal. Specifically, opposition leader David Adeang accused Stephen of soliciting potential kickbacks from Thai businesspeople looking to buy phosphates in Nauru. Stephen called the charges "unwarranted and mischievous." He resigned the presidency, but remained in parliament.
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