Paul M'ba Abessole
Encyclopedia
Fr. Paul Mba Abessole is a Gabon
ese politician who heads the National Woodcutters' Rally – Rally for Gabon (Rassemblement national des Bûcherons - Rassemblement pour le Gabon, RNB-RPG) and was a leading opponent of President Omar Bongo
during the 1990s. He stood as a presidential candidate twice during the 1990s and also served as Mayor of Libreville
, the capital. From 2002 to 2009 he participated in the government of Gabon, holding the rank of Deputy Prime Minister for most of that period. He is a graduate from Lon Morris College.
Mba Abessole was born in Ngnung-Ako, located in northern Gabon. He attended a French seminary and was ordained as a Catholic priest on 30 June 1968. He worked as a priest in Gabon until 1976, when he went to France, where he then lived in exile. As a critic of President Bongo and the single-party regime of the Gabonese Democratic Party
(PDG), he sought to stand as a candidate against Bongo in the 1979 presidential election
, but was unable to do so.
Mba Abessole was the exiled leader of MORENA
during the 1980s and argued for peaceful political change in Gabon. President Bongo, hoping to indicate that he was open to reform, allowed Mba Abessole to visit Gabon for a week in May 1989. On that occasion he was "treated more as a visiting dignitary than the leader of a suppressed political party"; Bongo met with him and said that he would consider Mba Abessole's proposed reforms. This conciliatory attitude from Bongo annoyed some PDG hard-liners. Following M'ba Abessole's May 1989 visit, he returned to Gabon on a permanent basis in November 1989. Bongo offered to appoint Mba Abessole as Minister of Justice after the March–April 1990 National Conference, but Mba Abessole refused to participate in the government.
In the 1990 parliamentary election, Mba Abessole stood as a MORENA candidate in Libreville. In the first round, he received 49.44% of the vote in his constituency, slightly less than the majority required for a first round victory; suspecting fraud, he refused to participate in the second round and called for a boycott of the second round.
On October 5, 1993, Mba Abessole announced his candidacy for the December 1993 presidential election
. He was the main opposition candidate in the election and placed second with 26.5%, according to official results, while Bongo was credited with a narrow first round majority. Denouncing the official results as fraudulent, Mba Abessole declared himself President and appointed RNB First Secretary Pierre-André Kombila
as Prime Minister. His house in Libreville, along with the opposition radio station Radio Liberty, was destroyed by the Presidential Guard in February 1994, and he went to Paris. In March 1994, Prime Minister Casimir Oye Mba offered to include the RNB in the government, but Mba Abessole rejected the offer. He also refused to participate in the government of Prime Minister Paulin Obame-Nguema
, which was formed after the signing of the Paris Accords between the government and the opposition in October 1994. The RNB won the late 1996 municipal election in Libreville, and M'ba Abessole was then elected as Mayor of Libreville by the city councillors.
Prior to the December 1998 presidential election
, Kombila was expelled from the party in July 1998, leading Kombila's supporters to form their own faction and nominate Kombila as their presidential candidate later in the month. Mba Abessole, who continued to lead the other faction, accused Kombila of "treachery and indiscipline". Mba Abessole was officially designated as his faction's presidential candidate at an extraordinary congress in Libreville in early October 1998. He was considered the most best-known opposition leader in Gabon; however, his credibility as an opposition leader was thought to have suffered, and it was believed that the RNB split would have a negative impact on his candidacy. In the election, he took third place with 13.16% of the vote, according to official results; Bongo won an overwhelming majority, while Pierre Mamboundou
, who was perceived as a more radical opposition leader than M'ba Abessole, placed second.
Mba Abessole defeated Jean Eyeghe Ndong
for a seat in the National Assembly
in the December 2001 parliamentary election
, and on January 27, 2002 he was appointed to the government as Minister of State for Human Rights. He was subsequently promoted to the position of Deputy Prime Minister for Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Rural Development, in charge of Human Rights, on January 21, 2003. Later, his portfolio was modified and he was named Deputy Prime Minister for Transport, Civil Aviation, and Human Rights.
On April 23, 2004, Mba Abessole joined the Presidential Majority, the alliance of parties supporting President Bongo. A youth movement, the Movement of the Children of Bongo Ondimba, then asked Mba Abessole to serve as Bongo's campaign manager for the 2005 presidential election
; it also wanted him to become Prime Minister if Bongo won the election. Bongo accepted this as a possibility, and on June 26, 2004, Mba Abessole said that he was willing to take up the responsibility. However, others in the Presidential Majority resisted the idea of Mba Abessole becoming Bongo's campaign manager.
He and Eyeghe Ndong faced each other again in the December 2006 parliamentary election
, this time with Eyeghe Ndong holding the position of Prime Minister, and Mba Abessole was defeated. President Bongo said that holding a ministerial position was not dependent on winning a parliamentary seat and that Mba Abessole could remain a member of the government. In the new government, announced on January 25, 2007, Mba Abessole was moved to the position of Deputy Prime Minister at the Presidency in charge of Recasting, Human Rights, the Coordination of Great Work and Revolving Festivals.
In a Senate
by-election held on July 1, 2007, Mba Abessole was elected to the first seat from the second arrondissement
of Libreville, which had been vacated by Eyeghe Ndong. Mba Abessole was the only candidate for the seat and received the votes of all of the 20 electors in this indirect election. In the government named on December 28, 2007, he was moved to the position of Deputy Prime Minister for Culture, Arts, Community Education, Refoundation and Human Rights.
Mba Abessole headed the RPG's list in the Second Arrondissement of Libreville during the April 2008 local elections
. Subsequently he filed an unsuccessful challenge with the Constitutional Court related to the election.
Following Omar Bongo's death in June 2009, the RPG held its 11th Extraordinary Congress on 11 July 2009 and nominated Mba Abessole, its President, as the party's candidate for the 30 August 2009 presidential election
. He was immediately backed by three other parties: the National Recovery Movement (MORENA) and the National Rally of Woodcutters (RNB), both part of the Presidential Majority, as well as the Party of Equal Opportunity (PEC), an opposition party. Mba Abessole was then excluded from the government appointed on 22 July 2009 under Prime Minister Paul Biyoghé Mba
.
Together with several other candidates, Mba Abessole was present at a banned demonstration calling for the resignation of PDG presidential candidate Ali-Ben Bongo
from the government on 7 August 2009. In mid-August he said in reference to the PDG's selection of Bongo (Omar Bongo's son) as its candidate that "we are faced with a monarchy that wants to impose itself in our country" and that "we have to fight until the monarchists are thrown out".
In late August, immediately prior to the election, Mba Abessole and four other candidates announced that they were withdrawing their candidacies in favor of André Mba Obame
, a former PDG minister who was standing as an independent candidate. Mba Obame placed second in the election with 26% of the vote, behind Bongo. The election was followed by serious violence in Port-Gentil
. A few days after the announcement of results, Mba Abessole tried to travel to Cote d'Ivoire
but was barred from doing so by police, who said that they were under orders to not allow opposition leaders to leave the country. The Interior Ministry explained on 9 September 2009 that this was because of a government investigation into the Port-Gentil rioting.
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 who heads the National Woodcutters' Rally – Rally for Gabon (Rassemblement national des Bûcherons - Rassemblement pour le Gabon, RNB-RPG) and was a leading opponent of President Omar Bongo
Omar Bongo
El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba , born as Albert-Bernard Bongo, was a Gabonese politician who was President of Gabon for 42 years from 1967 until his death in office in 2009....
during the 1990s. He stood as a presidential candidate twice during the 1990s and also served as Mayor of Libreville
Libreville
Libreville is the capital and largest city of Gabon, in west central Africa. The city is a port on the Komo River, near the Gulf of Guinea, and a trade center for a timber region. As of 2005, it has a population of 578,156.- History :...
, the capital. From 2002 to 2009 he participated in the government of Gabon, holding the rank of Deputy Prime Minister for most of that period. He is a graduate from Lon Morris College.
Mba Abessole was born in Ngnung-Ako, located in northern Gabon. He attended a French seminary and was ordained as a Catholic priest on 30 June 1968. He worked as a priest in Gabon until 1976, when he went to France, where he then lived in exile. As a critic of President Bongo and the single-party regime of the Gabonese Democratic Party
Gabonese Democratic Party
The Gabonese Democratic Party , is the ruling and dominant political party of Gabon. Its motto is Dialogue, Tolerance, Peace.It has held power since independence, first under Léon M'ba , then under Omar Bongo...
(PDG), he sought to stand as a candidate against Bongo in the 1979 presidential election
Gabonese presidential election, 1979
Presidential elections were held in Gabon on 30 December 1979, the first time they had been held separately from National Assembly elections. The country was a one-party state at the time, with the Gabonese Democratic Party as the sole legal party. GDP leader and incumbent president Omar Bongo was...
, but was unable to do so.
Mba Abessole was the exiled leader of MORENA
Morena
Morena is a city and a municipality in Morena district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is also known as Muraina and is the administrative headquarters of Morena District and of Chambal Division. It is 39 km away from Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh...
during the 1980s and argued for peaceful political change in Gabon. President Bongo, hoping to indicate that he was open to reform, allowed Mba Abessole to visit Gabon for a week in May 1989. On that occasion he was "treated more as a visiting dignitary than the leader of a suppressed political party"; Bongo met with him and said that he would consider Mba Abessole's proposed reforms. This conciliatory attitude from Bongo annoyed some PDG hard-liners. Following M'ba Abessole's May 1989 visit, he returned to Gabon on a permanent basis in November 1989. Bongo offered to appoint Mba Abessole as Minister of Justice after the March–April 1990 National Conference, but Mba Abessole refused to participate in the government.
In the 1990 parliamentary election, Mba Abessole stood as a MORENA candidate in Libreville. In the first round, he received 49.44% of the vote in his constituency, slightly less than the majority required for a first round victory; suspecting fraud, he refused to participate in the second round and called for a boycott of the second round.
On October 5, 1993, Mba Abessole announced his candidacy for 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...
. He was the main opposition candidate in the election and placed second with 26.5%, according to official results, while Bongo was credited with a narrow first round majority. Denouncing the official results as fraudulent, Mba Abessole declared himself President and appointed RNB First Secretary Pierre-André Kombila
Pierre-André Kombila
Pierre-André Kombila Koumba is a Gabonese politician, professor, and medical doctor. He was the First Secretary of the National Rally of Woodcutters , Gabon's main opposition party, from 1990 to 1998; he then led a split from the RNB, establishing the more radical National Rally of Woodcutters -...
as Prime Minister. His house in Libreville, along with the opposition radio station Radio Liberty, was destroyed by the Presidential Guard in February 1994, and he went to Paris. In March 1994, Prime Minister Casimir Oye Mba offered to include the RNB in the government, but Mba Abessole rejected the offer. He also refused to participate in the government of Prime Minister Paulin Obame-Nguema
Paulin Obame-Nguema
Dr. Paulin Obame-Nguema is a Gabonese politician who was the Prime Minister of Gabon from 2 November 1994 to 23 January 1999. He is currently a Deputy in the National Assembly of Gabon.-Prime Minister :...
, which was formed after the signing of the Paris Accords between the government and the opposition in October 1994. The RNB won the late 1996 municipal election in Libreville, and M'ba Abessole was then elected as Mayor of Libreville by the city councillors.
Prior to the December 1998 presidential election
Gabonese presidential election, 1998
Presidential elections were held in Gabon on 6 December 1998. Incumbent President Omar Bongo Ondimba, in power since 1967, sought a seven-year term against five other candidates...
, Kombila was expelled from the party in July 1998, leading Kombila's supporters to form their own faction and nominate Kombila as their presidential candidate later in the month. Mba Abessole, who continued to lead the other faction, accused Kombila of "treachery and indiscipline". Mba Abessole was officially designated as his faction's presidential candidate at an extraordinary congress in Libreville in early October 1998. He was considered the most best-known opposition leader in Gabon; however, his credibility as an opposition leader was thought to have suffered, and it was believed that the RNB split would have a negative impact on his candidacy. In the election, he took third place with 13.16% of the vote, according to official results; Bongo won an overwhelming majority, while Pierre Mamboundou
Pierre Mamboundou
Pierre Mamboundou was a Gabonese politician. He was President of the Union of the Gabonese People , an opposition party in Gabon, from 1989 to 2011.-ACCT career and 1989 events:Mamboundou was born in Mouila...
, who was perceived as a more radical opposition leader than M'ba Abessole, placed second.
Mba Abessole defeated Jean Eyeghe Ndong
Jean Eyeghe Ndong
Jean Eyeghé Ndong is a Gabonese politician. He was the Prime Minister of Gabon from January 20, 2006 to July 17, 2009. He was also the First Vice-President of the Gabonese Democratic Party until 2009....
for a seat in the National Assembly
National Assembly of Gabon
The National Assembly of Gabon is the lower house of the Parliament of Gabon. It has 120 members, 111 members elected for a five year term in single-seat constituencies and 9 members appointed by the President.-Latest results:...
in the December 2001 parliamentary election
Gabonese legislative election, 2001
Gabon held a parliamentary election on 9 December 2001.-Results:...
, and on January 27, 2002 he was appointed to the government as Minister of State for Human Rights. He was subsequently promoted to the position of Deputy Prime Minister for Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Rural Development, in charge of Human Rights, on January 21, 2003. Later, his portfolio was modified and he was named Deputy Prime Minister for Transport, Civil Aviation, and Human Rights.
On April 23, 2004, Mba Abessole joined the Presidential Majority, the alliance of parties supporting President Bongo. A youth movement, the Movement of the Children of Bongo Ondimba, then asked Mba Abessole to serve as Bongo's campaign manager for the 2005 presidential election
Gabonese presidential election, 2005
Gabon held a presidential election on 27 November 2005. Incumbent President Omar Bongo Ondimba, in power since 1967 , sought another seven-year term against four other candidates. According to an announcement of results by the country's interior minister, Bongo won the election with 79.2% of the vote...
; it also wanted him to become Prime Minister if Bongo won the election. Bongo accepted this as a possibility, and on June 26, 2004, Mba Abessole said that he was willing to take up the responsibility. However, others in the Presidential Majority resisted the idea of Mba Abessole becoming Bongo's campaign manager.
He and Eyeghe Ndong faced each other again in the December 2006 parliamentary election
Gabonese legislative election, 2006
A legislative election was held in Gabon on 17 December 2006 ....
, this time with Eyeghe Ndong holding the position of Prime Minister, and Mba Abessole was defeated. President Bongo said that holding a ministerial position was not dependent on winning a parliamentary seat and that Mba Abessole could remain a member of the government. In the new government, announced on January 25, 2007, Mba Abessole was moved to the position of Deputy Prime Minister at the Presidency in charge of Recasting, Human Rights, the Coordination of Great Work and Revolving Festivals.
In a Senate
Senate of Gabon
The Senate is the upper house of the Parliament of Gabon. It has 102 members, elected for a six year term in single-seat constituencies by local and départemental councillors...
by-election held on July 1, 2007, Mba Abessole was elected to the first seat from the second arrondissement
Arrondissement
Arrondissement is any of various administrative divisions of France, certain other Francophone countries, and the Netherlands.-France:The 101 French departments are divided into 342 arrondissements, which may be translated into English as districts. The capital of an arrondissement is called a...
of Libreville, which had been vacated by Eyeghe Ndong. Mba Abessole was the only candidate for the seat and received the votes of all of the 20 electors in this indirect election. In the government named on December 28, 2007, he was moved to the position of Deputy Prime Minister for Culture, Arts, Community Education, Refoundation and Human Rights.
Mba Abessole headed the RPG's list in the Second Arrondissement of Libreville during the April 2008 local elections
Gabonese local elections, 2008
Local elections were held in Gabon on April 27–30, 2008, with 1,990 municipal and departmental councillors being elected.- Overview :...
. Subsequently he filed an unsuccessful challenge with the Constitutional Court related to the election.
Following Omar Bongo's death in June 2009, the RPG held its 11th Extraordinary Congress on 11 July 2009 and nominated Mba Abessole, its President, as the party's candidate for the 30 August 2009 presidential election
Gabonese presidential election, 2009
A presidential election was held in Gabon on 30 August 2009 after the incumbent President Omar Bongo Ondimba died on 8 June 2009. While the constitution stated that Interim President Rose Francine Rogombé should organise elections within 30 to 45 days, the Constitutional Court accepted the...
. He was immediately backed by three other parties: the National Recovery Movement (MORENA) and the National Rally of Woodcutters (RNB), both part of the Presidential Majority, as well as the Party of Equal Opportunity (PEC), an opposition party. Mba Abessole was then excluded from the government appointed on 22 July 2009 under Prime Minister Paul Biyoghé Mba
Paul Biyoghé Mba
Paul Biyoghé Mba is a Gabonese politician who has been Prime Minister of Gabon since July 2009. A member of the Gabonese Democratic Party , he served for years as a minister in the government prior to his appointment as Prime Minister....
.
Together with several other candidates, Mba Abessole was present at a banned demonstration calling for the resignation of PDG presidential candidate Ali-Ben Bongo
Ali-Ben Bongo
Ali Bongo Ondimba is a Gabonese politician who has been President of Gabon since October 2009.Bongo is the son of Omar Bongo, who was President of Gabon from 1967 until his death in 2009...
from the government on 7 August 2009. In mid-August he said in reference to the PDG's selection of Bongo (Omar Bongo's son) as its candidate that "we are faced with a monarchy that wants to impose itself in our country" and that "we have to fight until the monarchists are thrown out".
In late August, immediately prior to the election, Mba Abessole and four other candidates announced that they were withdrawing their candidacies in favor of André Mba Obame
André Mba Obame
André Mba Obame is a Gabonese politician. After serving as an adviser to President Omar Bongo in the 1980s, he was a minister in the government of Gabon from 1990 to 1991 and again from 1997 to 2009; during that time, he was identified with the reformist wing of the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party...
, a former PDG minister who was standing as an independent candidate. Mba Obame placed second in the election with 26% of the vote, behind Bongo. The election was followed by serious violence in Port-Gentil
Port-Gentil
Port-Gentil or Mandji is the second-largest city of Gabon and a leading seaport. It is the center of Gabon's petroleum and timber industries. Although it lies inshore, the nearby mainland is a remote forest area and it is not connected by road to the rest of the nation...
. A few days after the announcement of results, Mba Abessole tried to travel to Cote d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
but was barred from doing so by police, who said that they were under orders to not allow opposition leaders to leave the country. The Interior Ministry explained on 9 September 2009 that this was because of a government investigation into the Port-Gentil rioting.