Claudine Munari
Encyclopedia
Claudine Munari Mabondzo (born 1954) is a Congolese
politician. She was Director of the Cabinet of President Pascal Lissouba
from 1992 to 1997. Although Munari fled into exile when Lissouba was ousted, she later returned to politics in Congo-Brazzaville; she was a MP in the National Assembly
from 2002 to 2009 and was also the Second Secretary of the National Assembly from 2007 to 2009. Since September 2009, she has served in the government as Minister of Trade.
, Congo-Brazzaville's second city and main port. She obtained a degree in econometrics
and worked at Citroën
, an automobile manufacturer in France
, from 1976 to 1981. Subsequently she returned to Congo and was the Administrative and Financial Director of CIATA, a French consultancy firm, from 1982 to 1991.
(UPADS), as Assistant in charge of Finance and Material. After Lissouba won the August 1992 presidential election
, he appointed her as Director of the Cabinet of the President of the Republic. In that post, Munari held the rank of Minister. She additionally became the Mayor of Mouyondzi
in 1996.
An advocate for women, Munari promoted the cause of increasing women's participation in the decision-making of society, and she founded the Femme 2000 association, a non-governmental organization working for improvement of the socioeconomic status of women, on 24 March 1993.
Munari remained in her post as Director of the Presidential Cabinet for five years. When Lissouba was ousted at the end of the June–October 1997 civil war, Munari—like Lissouba—went into exile, living in France. She was included in the Patriotic Front for Dialogue and National Reconciliation (FPDRN), a moderate exile group created in France in October 2000; the group favored peace and reconciliation, choosing not to challenge the legitimacy of President Denis Sassou Nguesso
, who had toppled Lissouba. Munari returned to Congo-Brazzaville as part of a FPDRN delegation to participate in the March–April 2001 inclusive national dialogue.
Munari testified at the trial of Lissouba and some of his ministers in absentia in December 2001. At the trial, it was said that the 150 million dollars paid by Occidental Petroleum
as part of an allegedly corrupt 1993 oil deal with Lissouba's government was paid into Munari's personal bank account. According to Munari, the money was used to cover costs associated with the 1993 parliamentary election
and to pay salary arrears to civil servants. Munari herself also initially faced charges during the trial, but they were dismissed on 27 December 2001 on the grounds that she had merely followed Lissouba's orders.
, she was elected to the National Assembly as an independent candidate in Mouyondzi constituency, located in Bouenza Region
; she won the seat in the first round with 72.55% of the vote. She also became Vice-President of the Congo-France Friendship Group.
In the 2007 parliamentary election
, Munari was re-elected to the National Assembly from Mouyondzi constituency as an independent candidate. She received 30.80% in the first round and then prevailed in the second round. Following that election, Munari—who had joined the presidential majority—was elected as Second Secretary of the National Assembly on 4 September 2007; she received 121 votes from the 129 deputies who voted.
In the National Assembly, Munari focused on cooperation with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Network of Female Parliamentarians of Africa. Munari also founded a political party, the Movement for Unity, Solidarity, and Work (MUST), and serves as its President.
Munari supported Sassou Nguesso's candidacy in the July 2009 presidential election
. When the National Initiative for Peace (INP)—an organization designed to support Sassou Nguesso's re-election bid while emphasizing the importance of peace—was launched on 28 February 2009, Munari was included on the INP's 91-member National Coordination.
, her predecessor as Minister of Trade, on 24 September to discuss issues facing the ministry, including Economic Partnership Agreements
with the European Union
and internal trade issues, such as rising food prices. Munari said that she would continue to consult with Dambendzet when needed.
Having been appointed to the government, it was necessary for Munari to leave the National Assembly. On 22 December 2009, Joseph Kignoumbi Kia Mboungou
officially succeeded her as Second Secretary of the National Assembly. On that occasion, Munari stressed to Kignoumbi Kia Mboungou the importance of continuing to work with the IPU and the Network of Female Parliamentarians of Africa. She joked that she was "not asking [him] to wear a skirt" but expressed confidence that the network would listen to him.
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by...
politician. She was Director of the Cabinet of President Pascal Lissouba
Pascal Lissouba
Pascal Lissouba was the first democratically elected President of the Republic of the Congo from August 31, 1992 to October 15, 1997. He was overthrown by the current President Denis Sassou Nguesso in the 1997 civil war....
from 1992 to 1997. Although Munari fled into exile when Lissouba was ousted, she later returned to politics in Congo-Brazzaville; she was a MP in the National Assembly
National Assembly of the Republic of the Congo
The Parliament of the Republic of Congo has two chambers. The lower house is the National Assembly . It has 153 members, for a five year term in single-seat constituencies.-See also:...
from 2002 to 2009 and was also the Second Secretary of the National Assembly from 2007 to 2009. Since September 2009, she has served in the government as Minister of Trade.
Background and early career
Munari was born in Pointe-NoirePointe-Noire
Pointe-Noire is the second largest city in the Republic of the Congo, following the capital of Brazzaville, and an autonomous department since 2004. Before this date it was the capital of the Kouilou region . It is situated on a headland between Pointe-Noire Bay and the Atlantic Ocean...
, Congo-Brazzaville's second city and main port. She obtained a degree in econometrics
Econometrics
Econometrics has been defined as "the application of mathematics and statistical methods to economic data" and described as the branch of economics "that aims to give empirical content to economic relations." More precisely, it is "the quantitative analysis of actual economic phenomena based on...
and worked at Citroën
Citroën
Citroën is a major French automobile manufacturer, part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group.Founded in 1919 by French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën , Citroën was the first mass-production car company outside the USA and pioneered the modern concept of creating a sales and services network that...
, an automobile manufacturer in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, from 1976 to 1981. Subsequently she returned to Congo and was the Administrative and Financial Director of CIATA, a French consultancy firm, from 1982 to 1991.
1990s political career, exile, and 2001 corruption trial
Munari met Pascal Lissouba at the 1991 Sovereign National Conference, and soon afterward Lissouba appointed her to a leading position in his newly created political party, the Pan-African Union for Social DemocracyPan-African Union for Social Democracy
The Pan-African Union for Social Democracy is a political party in the Republic of the Congo, led by former president Pascal Lissouba....
(UPADS), as Assistant in charge of Finance and Material. After Lissouba won the August 1992 presidential election
Republic of the Congo presidential election, 1992
Presidential elections were held in the Republic of the Congo in August 1992, marking the end of the transitional period that began with the February–June 1991 National Conference...
, he appointed her as Director of the Cabinet of the President of the Republic. In that post, Munari held the rank of Minister. She additionally became the Mayor of Mouyondzi
Mouyondzi
Mouyondzi is a town and seat of Mouyondzi District in the Bouenza Region of Congo-Brazzaville. Moyondzi's population mostly consists of Beembe.-References:*http://www.paysdemouyondzi.com/...
in 1996.
An advocate for women, Munari promoted the cause of increasing women's participation in the decision-making of society, and she founded the Femme 2000 association, a non-governmental organization working for improvement of the socioeconomic status of women, on 24 March 1993.
Munari remained in her post as Director of the Presidential Cabinet for five years. When Lissouba was ousted at the end of the June–October 1997 civil war, Munari—like Lissouba—went into exile, living in France. She was included in the Patriotic Front for Dialogue and National Reconciliation (FPDRN), a moderate exile group created in France in October 2000; the group favored peace and reconciliation, choosing not to challenge the legitimacy of President Denis Sassou Nguesso
Denis Sassou Nguesso
Denis Sassou Nguesso is a Congolese politician who has been the President of Congo-Brazzaville since 1997; he was previously President from 1979 to 1992. During his first period as President, he headed the single-party regime of the Congolese Labour Party for 12 years...
, who had toppled Lissouba. Munari returned to Congo-Brazzaville as part of a FPDRN delegation to participate in the March–April 2001 inclusive national dialogue.
Munari testified at the trial of Lissouba and some of his ministers in absentia in December 2001. At the trial, it was said that the 150 million dollars paid by Occidental Petroleum
Occidental Petroleum
Occidental Petroleum Corporation is a California-based oil and gas exploration and production company with operations in the United States, the Middle East, North Africa, and South America...
as part of an allegedly corrupt 1993 oil deal with Lissouba's government was paid into Munari's personal bank account. According to Munari, the money was used to cover costs associated with the 1993 parliamentary election
Republic of the Congo parliamentary election, 1993
Parliamentary elections were held in the Republic of the Congo on 2 May 1993, with a second round in several constituencies on 6 June. The result was a victory for the Presidential Tendency coalition, which won 65 of the 125 seats in the National Assembly....
and to pay salary arrears to civil servants. Munari herself also initially faced charges during the trial, but they were dismissed on 27 December 2001 on the grounds that she had merely followed Lissouba's orders.
Political career since 2002
In the May 2002 parliamentary electionRepublic of the Congo parliamentary election, 2002
A parliamentary election was held in the Republic of the Congo in 2002; the first round was held on 26 May and the second round on 20 June. The Congolese Labour Party and its allies won a majority of seats in the National Assembly....
, she was elected to the National Assembly as an independent candidate in Mouyondzi constituency, located in Bouenza Region
Bouenza Region
Bouenza is a department of the Republic of the Congo in the southern part of the country. It borders the departments of Lékoumou, Niari, and Pool, and internationally, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The regional capital is Madingou...
; she won the seat in the first round with 72.55% of the vote. She also became Vice-President of the Congo-France Friendship Group.
In the 2007 parliamentary election
Republic of the Congo parliamentary election, 2007
A parliamentary election was held in the Republic of the Congo on 24 June 2007, with a second round initially planned for 22 July 2007, but then postponed to 5 August 2007. According to the National Commission of the Organization of the Elections , 1,807 candidates stood in the first round for 137...
, Munari was re-elected to the National Assembly from Mouyondzi constituency as an independent candidate. She received 30.80% in the first round and then prevailed in the second round. Following that election, Munari—who had joined the presidential majority—was elected as Second Secretary of the National Assembly on 4 September 2007; she received 121 votes from the 129 deputies who voted.
In the National Assembly, Munari focused on cooperation with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Network of Female Parliamentarians of Africa. Munari also founded a political party, the Movement for Unity, Solidarity, and Work (MUST), and serves as its President.
Munari supported Sassou Nguesso's candidacy in the July 2009 presidential election
Republic of the Congo presidential election, 2009
A presidential election was held in the Republic of the Congo on 12 July 2009. Long-time President Denis Sassou Nguesso won another seven-year term with a large majority of the vote, but the election was marked by accusations of irregularities and fraud from the opposition; six opposition...
. When the National Initiative for Peace (INP)—an organization designed to support Sassou Nguesso's re-election bid while emphasizing the importance of peace—was launched on 28 February 2009, Munari was included on the INP's 91-member National Coordination.
Minister of Trade
Munari was appointed to the government as Minister of Trade and Supplies by President Sassou Nguesso on 15 September 2009. She met with Jeanne DambendzetJeanne Dambendzet
Jeanne Dambendzet is a Congolese politician. She served in the government of Congo-Brazzaville from 1989 to 1991 and again from 1997 to 2009. Since 2009 she has been the First Vice-President of the Economic and Social Council, a state institution.-Background and early political career:Dambendzet...
, her predecessor as Minister of Trade, on 24 September to discuss issues facing the ministry, including Economic Partnership Agreements
Economic Partnership Agreements
Economic Partnership Agreements are a scheme to create a free trade area between the European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States . They are a response to continuing criticism that the non-reciprocal and discriminating preferential trade agreements offered by the EU are...
with the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and internal trade issues, such as rising food prices. Munari said that she would continue to consult with Dambendzet when needed.
Having been appointed to the government, it was necessary for Munari to leave the National Assembly. On 22 December 2009, Joseph Kignoumbi Kia Mboungou
Joseph Kignoumbi Kia Mboungou
Joseph Kignomba Kia Mbougou is a politician in the Republic of Congo. He stood in the 2002 presidential election for the Pan-African Union for Social Democracy Party. He came second in the election gaining 33,154 votes....
officially succeeded her as Second Secretary of the National Assembly. On that occasion, Munari stressed to Kignoumbi Kia Mboungou the importance of continuing to work with the IPU and the Network of Female Parliamentarians of Africa. She joked that she was "not asking [him] to wear a skirt" but expressed confidence that the network would listen to him.