Alexandre Sambat was a Gabon

Gabon

Gabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...

ese politician and diplomat. He was Gabon's Ambassador to the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 from 1991 to 1993 and then joined the opposition in Gabon, standing unsuccessfully as a candidate in the December 1993 presidential election

Gabonese presidential election, 1993

Gabon held a presidential election on 5 December 1993. Incumbent President Omar Bongo, in power since 1967, sought a five-year term against 12 other candidates. It was Gabon's first multiparty election, and according to official results Bongo won in the first round with 51.2% of the vote...

. After that election, he served in the government until his death in 1998.

Born in Makokou

Makokou

Makokou is the regional capital of the Ogooué-Ivindo province in Gabon. Its coordinates are . Its altitude is 308 m. Its population in 2004 is around 16,600.The city lies on the Ivindo River and the N4 road...

, Sambat became a chemical engineer

Chemical engineer

In the field of engineering, a chemical engineer is the profession in which one works principally in the chemical industry to convert basic raw materials into a variety of products, and deals with the design and operation of plants and equipment to perform such work...

. He was Minister of National Education until being appointed as Minister of State for Tourism, Leisure, and National Parks on 18 November 1987. He was subsequently appointed as Ambassador to the United States on 26 April 1991 and presented his credentials on 11 June 1991.

A composition by Sambat, the "World Peace Song", premiered in January 1992; Sambat sang and played keyboard during the performance, which was characterized by a "bright, melodic refrain". Its lyrics were in both English and French.

After the 1993 election, he was again included in the government; as of 1995 he was Minister of Human Rights. He was the only member of the opposition included in the government that was named on 28 January 1997; on that occasion he was appointed as Minister of Youth, Sports, and Leisure.

Sambat remained Minister of Youth and Sports until he died of an aneurysm at a Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

 hospital in September 1998. He was succeeded as Minister of Youth and Sports by Pierre Emboni.