The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) is a biennial summit 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. From 1944 until 1971, the meetings were known as Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conferences and were generally held in London although the Commonwealth leaders met in Lagos in 1966. The first CHOGM was held in 1971. This page is a candidate to be copied to Wiktionary. ... The Commonwealth of Nations (CN), usually known as the Commonwealth, is a voluntary association of 53 independent sovereign states, the majority of which are former colonies of the United Kingdom. ... A prime minister is the most senior minister of a cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. ... Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States (1861-1865) The majority of this article is about heads of states. ... Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor; born 21 April 1926) is Queen of 16 sovereign states, holding each crown and title equally, though she is more directly involved with the United Kingdom, where the Royal Family resides, and the Monarchy is historically indigenous. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ... Lagos is the largest city in Nigeria. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ...

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, CHOGMs 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. A segregated beach in South Africa, 1982. ... A coup détat, or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a small group that just replaces the top power figures. ...

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 larger in recent years (it now has over 50 members) and as a result is becoming an increasingly difficult forum to establish any sort of political consensus.

Fears have also been raised that the Commonwealth's agenda is unfairly monopolized by African issues. This is unpopular with non-African member states, who resent the exclusion of the affairs of their regions, but also with the African states themselves. Some African states view the Commonwealth as a neo-colonial organization dominated by the "Old Commonwealth", that is to say those Anglosphere countries who are also members of the Commonwealth. The future of the Commonwealth thus remains in doubt. A world map showing the continent of Africa. ... The word Anglosphere describes a certain group of anglophone (English-speaking) nations which share historical, political, and ethnocultural characteristics rooted in or attributed to the historical experience of the British people. ... The Commonwealth of Nations (CN), usually known as the Commonwealth, is a voluntary association of 53 independent sovereign states, the majority of which are former colonies of the United Kingdom. ...

History of CHOGM meetings

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Lawrence Gonzi (born July 1, 1953) is the Prime Minister of Malta and Finance Minister of Malta. ...

Incidents and actions

• 1978 A bomb went off outside the venue of the 1978 CHOGM in Sydney, known as the Hilton Bombing.

• 2001 CHOGM 2001, slated to be held in Brisbane on October 6-9, was cancelled for security reasons in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. The Meeting was adjourned to March 2002, and held in the seaside resort of Coolum, Queensland.

• 2003 Amongst other protests, Amnesty International ran a substantial campaign pressuring CHOGM attendees on issues relating to abuses of human rights, especially in Nigeria and Zimbabwe.

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In popular culture

CHOGM has been humorously backronymed to Chappies Holidaying On Government Money. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

External links

• Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting page on the Commonwealth Secretariat web site
• Durban '99, CHOGM 1999 Official page
• Abuja' 2003, CHOGM 2003 Official page
• Valletta 2005, CHOGM 2005 Official page
• CHOGM count Down, CHOGM News
• CHOGM Uganda Meet, CommonWealth overview