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The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) is a biennial meeting of the heads of government from all Commonwealth nations. Every two years the meeting is held in a different member state, and is chaired by that nation's respective Prime Minister or President. Most meetings include an appearance by Queen Elizabeth II, who is the titular Head of the Commonwealth.
In the past, CHOGMs have attempted to orchestrate common policies on certain contentious issues and current events, with a special focus on issues affecting member nations. In the past, CHGMs have discussed the continuation of apartheid rule in South Africa and how to stop it, military coups in Pakistan and Fiji, and allegations of electoral fraud in Zimbabwe. Sometimes the member states agree on a common idea or solution, and release a joint statement declaring their opinion.
As the cultural and economic links between the Commonwealth countries continue to decline, the meeting's agenda has become more and more relaxed and its relevance questioned. The Commonwealth has grown increasingly large in recent years (it now has over 40 members) and as a result is becoming an increasingly difficult forum to establish any sort of political consensus in. Fears have also been raised that the Commonwealth's agenda is unfairly monoploized by African issues. This is unpopular with non-African member states, who resent the exclusion of discussing the affairs of their regions, but also with the African states themselves, many of whom view still view the Commonwealth as a neo-colonial, organization dominated by a "White Commonwealth". The future of the Commonwealth thus remains in doubt. Some have proposed the organization be split in half, with one half for African affairs, and one for the affairs of all other member states.
History of CHOGM meetings
Year City Country Chairman
1971 Singapore Singapore [Lee Kwan Yew]]
1973 Ottawa Canada Pierre Trudeau
1975 Kingston Jamaica Michael Manley
1977 London United Kingdom James Callaghan
1978 Sydney Australia Malcolm Fraser
1979 Lusaka Zambia Kenneth Kaunda
1981 Melbourne Australia Malcolm Fraser
1983 New Delhi India Indira Gandhi
1985 Nassau Bahamas Sir Lynden Pindling
1986 London United Kingdom Margaret Thatcher
1987 Vancouver Canada [Brian Mulroney]]
1989 Kuala LumpurMalaysia Dr Mahatir Mohammed
1991 Harare Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe
1993 Nicosia Cyprus George Vassiliou
1995 Auckland New Zealand Jim Bolger
1997 Edinburgh United Kingdom Tony Blair
1999 Durban South Africa Thabo Mbeki
2002 Brisbane Australia John Howard
2003 Abuja Nigeria Olusegan Obasanjo
2005 Valetta Malta Lawrence Gonzi (announced)
Hilton Bombing
A bomb went off outside the venue of the 1978 CHOGM in Sydney, known as the Hilton Bombing.
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