François Ibovi
Encyclopedia
François Ibovi is Congolese
politician. He served in the government of Congo-Brazzaville as Minister of Communication from 1997 to 2002 and as Minister of Territorial Administration from 2002 to 2007. Since September 2007, he has been the First Vice-President of the National Assembly
.
, Ibovi was born in Edou
, located in the Oyo District of Cuvette Region
, in the north of the country; Edou is also the birthplace of President Denis Sassou Nguesso
. He studied journalism in the Soviet Union
in the 1970s; after returning, he became a leader of the Union of Congolese Socialist Youth and joined the Congolese Labour Party (PCT) in 1977. He worked on national television as a journalist during the 1980s, and he was first elected to the National Assembly in the June–July 1992 parliamentary election
as a candidate in Oyo constituency.
During the 1997 civil war, Ibovi was a spokesman for Sassou Nguesso. After Sassou Nguesso returned to power in October 1997, Ibovi was appointed as Minister of Communication and Government Spokesman on 2 November 1997. When rebels loyal to Bernard Kolelas
attempted to seize Brazzaville
, the capital, in December 1998, Ibovi denied Kolelas' claim that his forces were effectively in control of the city, saying that Kolelas was delusional and that the army had the upper hand. In the government named on 12 January 1999, he remained Minister of Communication and Government Spokesman and was also assigned responsibility for relations with Parliament.
In the 2002 parliamentary election
, Ibovi was elected to the National Assembly as the PCT candidate for Oyo constituency; he was the only candidate and won the seat in the first round with 100% of the vote. He remained in the government after the election; on 18 August 2002, he was appointed as Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization, in which position he remained for over five years.
Criticism of problems in the conduct of the first round of the 2007 parliamentary election
, held in June, led Ibovi to suspend the Director General for Electoral Affairs, Armand Baboutila, on 28 June for alleged negligence in the handling of the election; he appointed Gaston Ololo in Baboutila's place for the second round of the election. Hervé Ambroise Malonga, acting as spokesman for parties calling for a boycott of the election, said that higher level officials should take responsibility and called for the resignation of Ibovi and the president of the electoral commission.
Ibovi was again elected to the National Assembly as a PCT candidate from Oyo constituency in the 2007 parliamentary election, receiving 99% of the vote. When the National Assembly opened for its new parliamentary term on 4 September 2007, Ibovi was elected as its First Vice-President; he received 122 votes from the 129 deputies who voted. Having been elected to a post in the Bureau of the National Assembly, it was inevitable that Ibovi would be dismissed from his powerful post in the government; some believed that President Sassou Nguesso was demoting Ibovi as punishment for his widely criticized management of the election. Ibovi was eventually replaced as Minister of Territorial Administration by Raymond Mboulou
in the government named on 30 December 2007.
At the PCT's Sixth Extraordinary Congress, held in July 2011, Ibovi was re-elected to the PCT's 51-member Political Bureau.
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. He served in the government of Congo-Brazzaville as Minister of Communication from 1997 to 2002 and as Minister of Territorial Administration from 2002 to 2007. Since September 2007, he has been the First Vice-President of 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:...
.
Political career
An ethnic MbochiMbochi
The Mbochi are a central African ethnic group whose population is concentrated in the northern region of the Republic of the Congo. The current Congolese president, Denis Sassou-Nguesso, as well as many senior government officials, belong to this group....
, Ibovi was born in Edou
Edou
Edou is a small town in Oyo District in the Cuvette Department of the Republic of Congo.President Denis Sassou-Nguesso was born in Edou in 1943 as was politician François Ibovi in 1954....
, located in the Oyo District of Cuvette Region
Cuvette Region
Cuvette is a department of the Republic of the Congo in the central part of the country. It borders the departments of Cuvette-Ouest, Likouala, Plateaux, and Sangha, and internationally, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The capital is Owando...
, in the north of the country; Edou is also the birthplace 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...
. He studied journalism in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in the 1970s; after returning, he became a leader of the Union of Congolese Socialist Youth and joined the Congolese Labour Party (PCT) in 1977. He worked on national television as a journalist during the 1980s, and he was first elected to the National Assembly in the June–July 1992 parliamentary election
Republic of the Congo parliamentary election, 1992
Parliamentary elections were held in the Republic of the Congo in 1992, along with a presidential election, marking the end of the transition to multiparty politics. The election was held in two rounds, the first on 24 June 1992 and the second on 19 July 1992...
as a candidate in Oyo constituency.
During the 1997 civil war, Ibovi was a spokesman for Sassou Nguesso. After Sassou Nguesso returned to power in October 1997, Ibovi was appointed as Minister of Communication and Government Spokesman on 2 November 1997. When rebels loyal to Bernard Kolelas
Bernard Kolélas
Bernard Bakana Kolélas was a Congolese politician and President of the Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development...
attempted to seize Brazzaville
Brazzaville
-Transport:The city is home to Maya-Maya Airport and a railway station on the Congo-Ocean Railway. It is also an important river port, with ferries sailing to Kinshasa and to Bangui via Impfondo...
, the capital, in December 1998, Ibovi denied Kolelas' claim that his forces were effectively in control of the city, saying that Kolelas was delusional and that the army had the upper hand. In the government named on 12 January 1999, he remained Minister of Communication and Government Spokesman and was also assigned responsibility for relations with Parliament.
In the 2002 parliamentary election
Republic 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....
, Ibovi was elected to the National Assembly as the PCT candidate for Oyo constituency; he was the only candidate and won the seat in the first round with 100% of the vote. He remained in the government after the election; on 18 August 2002, he was appointed as Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization, in which position he remained for over five years.
Criticism of problems in the conduct of the first round of 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...
, held in June, led Ibovi to suspend the Director General for Electoral Affairs, Armand Baboutila, on 28 June for alleged negligence in the handling of the election; he appointed Gaston Ololo in Baboutila's place for the second round of the election. Hervé Ambroise Malonga, acting as spokesman for parties calling for a boycott of the election, said that higher level officials should take responsibility and called for the resignation of Ibovi and the president of the electoral commission.
Ibovi was again elected to the National Assembly as a PCT candidate from Oyo constituency in the 2007 parliamentary election, receiving 99% of the vote. When the National Assembly opened for its new parliamentary term on 4 September 2007, Ibovi was elected as its First Vice-President; he received 122 votes from the 129 deputies who voted. Having been elected to a post in the Bureau of the National Assembly, it was inevitable that Ibovi would be dismissed from his powerful post in the government; some believed that President Sassou Nguesso was demoting Ibovi as punishment for his widely criticized management of the election. Ibovi was eventually replaced as Minister of Territorial Administration by Raymond Mboulou
Raymond Mboulou
Raymond Zéphirin Mboulou is a Congolese politician who has served in the government of Congo-Brazzaville as Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization since December 2007...
in the government named on 30 December 2007.
At the PCT's Sixth Extraordinary Congress, held in July 2011, Ibovi was re-elected to the PCT's 51-member Political Bureau.