Issifou Okoulou-Kantchati
Encyclopedia
Issifou Okoulou-Kantchati (born 23 January 1951) is a Togo
lese politician, currently serving in the government of Togo as Minister of City Planning and Housing.
and became a member of the Central Committee of the Rally of the Togolese People
(RPT) in 1977. In the 1990s, Okoulou-Kantchati headed the Alliance of Democrats for the Republic (ADR), a political party. He was Quaestor
of the High Council of the Republic, which was established as the transitional parliament in 1991. In an August 1996 by-election for a seat in the National Assembly
from Oti, Okoulou-Kantchati, standing as the ADR candidate, placed second in the first round, receiving 32.89% of the vote against 40.19% for RPT candidate Stanislas Baba. Baba then narrowly defeated him in the second round, receiving 51.41% of the vote.
Okoulou-Kantchati later joined the RPT. In the March 1999 parliamentary election
, he was elected to the National Assembly as the RPT candidate in the First Constituency of Oti Prefecture; he faced no opposition and won the seat with 100% of the vote. He was re-elected to the National Assembly in the October 2002 parliamentary election
and served as President of the Finance Commission in the National Assembly. On 29 July 2003, Okoulou-Kantchati was appointed to the government as Minister of Energy and Water Resources.
His house in Mango was attacked by opposition supporters amidst the violence that surrounded the April 2005 presidential election
. After that election, he was moved to the post of Minister of the Environment and Forest Resources on 20 June 2005. He was the first candidate on the RPT's candidate list for Oti constituency in the October 2007 parliamentary election
and won a seat. At the time of the election, he was the RPT Coordinator in Savanes Region
. Following the election, he was designated as one of seven members of a committee to amend the National Assembly's rules of procedure on 14 November 2007. He remained in the government that was formed after the election in December 2007.
Okoulou-Kantchati remained in his post as Minister of the Environment and Forest Resources until 15 September 2008, when he was instead appointed as Minister of City Planning and Housing.
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
lese politician, currently serving in the government of Togo as Minister of City Planning and Housing.
Biography
Okoulou-Kantchati was born in Mango, located in the Oti Prefecture of Togo. He studied in FranceFrance
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...
and became a member of the Central Committee of the Rally of the Togolese People
Rally of the Togolese People
The Rally of the Togolese People is the ruling political party in Togo. The President of Togo, Faure Gnassingbé, is also the National President of the RPT....
(RPT) in 1977. In the 1990s, Okoulou-Kantchati headed the Alliance of Democrats for the Republic (ADR), a political party. He was Quaestor
Quaestor
A Quaestor was a type of public official in the "Cursus honorum" system who supervised financial affairs. In the Roman Republic a quaestor was an elected official whereas, with the autocratic government of the Roman Empire, quaestors were simply appointed....
of the High Council of the Republic, which was established as the transitional parliament in 1991. In an August 1996 by-election for a seat in the National Assembly
National Assembly of Togo
The unicameral National Assembly of Togo is the country's legislative body. It has a total of 81 members who are elected in a party list proportional representation system...
from Oti, Okoulou-Kantchati, standing as the ADR candidate, placed second in the first round, receiving 32.89% of the vote against 40.19% for RPT candidate Stanislas Baba. Baba then narrowly defeated him in the second round, receiving 51.41% of the vote.
Okoulou-Kantchati later joined the RPT. In the March 1999 parliamentary election
Togolese parliamentary election, 1999
Parliamentary elections were held in Togo on 21 March 1999. They were boycotted by the eight opposition parties, who been rebuffed in their insistence that talks following the controversial presidential election the previous year must be completed prior to the parliamentary election...
, he was elected to the National Assembly as the RPT candidate in the First Constituency of Oti Prefecture; he faced no opposition and won the seat with 100% of the vote. He was re-elected to the National Assembly in the October 2002 parliamentary election
Togolese parliamentary election, 2002
Parliamentary elections were held in Togo on 27 October 2002. Like the previous elections in 1999, they were boycotted by nine opposition parties , following the replacement of the Independent National Electoral Commission by a seven-magistrate committee and a revision of the Electoral Code...
and served as President of the Finance Commission in the National Assembly. On 29 July 2003, Okoulou-Kantchati was appointed to the government as Minister of Energy and Water Resources.
His house in Mango was attacked by opposition supporters amidst the violence that surrounded the April 2005 presidential election
Togolese presidential election, 2005
A presidential election was held in Togo on April 24, 2005, following the death in office of long-time president Gnassingbé Eyadéma. The main candidates were Eyadéma's son, Faure Gnassingbé, and opposition leader Emmanuel Bob-Akitani. The election and the period preceding it were marked by...
. After that election, he was moved to the post of Minister of the Environment and Forest Resources on 20 June 2005. He was the first candidate on the RPT's candidate list for Oti constituency in the October 2007 parliamentary election
Togolese parliamentary election, 2007
A parliamentary election was held in Togo on October 14, 2007 for the 81 seats in the National Assembly. There were over 2,000 candidates, with 32 parties and 41 lists of independent candidates competing. The ruling Rally of the Togolese People was victorious, winning a majority of 50 seats...
and won a seat. At the time of the election, he was the RPT Coordinator in Savanes Region
Savanes Region
Savanes Region may refer to:*Savanes Region, Côte d'Ivoire*Savanes Region, Togo...
. Following the election, he was designated as one of seven members of a committee to amend the National Assembly's rules of procedure on 14 November 2007. He remained in the government that was formed after the election in December 2007.
Okoulou-Kantchati remained in his post as Minister of the Environment and Forest Resources until 15 September 2008, when he was instead appointed as Minister of City Planning and Housing.