André Mouélé
Encyclopedia
André Mouélé is a Congolese
politician. During the single-party rule of the Congolese Labour Party (PCT), he served in the government of Congo-Brazzaville as Minister of Culture, Arts, and Sports and as Minister of Labour and Justice in the 1970s. After the introduction of multiparty politics, he briefly served as President of the National Assembly
from September 1992 to November 1992.
in November 1969. President Marien Ngouabi
subsequently appointed him to the government as Minister of Culture, Arts, and Sports on 30 August 1973. After a period out of the government, Mouélé was appointed as Minister of Labour and Justice on 18 November 1978, and he was elected to the PCT Central Committee at the PCT Extraordinary Congress held on 26–31 March 1979.
At the PCT's Third Ordinary Congress, held on 27–31 July 1984, Mouélé was re-elected to the 75-member PCT Central Committee. He also served as Vice-President of the National People's Assembly.
. The PCT was briefly allied with Pascal Lissouba
and his party, the Pan-African Union for Social Democracy
(UPADS), and it backed Lissouba in the second round of the August 1992 presidential election
. However, after Lissouba won the election, he appointed only three PCT members to the government in September 1992; the PCT, believing it had been denied an appropriately proportional level of representation in the government, was infuriated. It promptly abandoned its alliance with UPADS and moved toward the creation of an alliance with the Union for Democratic Renewal
(URD), a seven-party opposition coalition led by Bernard Kolélas
.
The PCT's change in allegiance deprived President Lissouba of his parliamentary majority. Although Lissouba favored Ange-Edouard Poungui for the post of President of the National Assembly, he could not prevent the opposition from electing the candidate of its choice. In a parliamentary vote on 24 September 1992, Mouélé was elected as President of National Assembly through the combined votes of the PCT and the URD. He received 66 votes against 52 for Poungui; seven deputies cast blank votes. Although the PCT had been severely weakened by the events of the 1991–1992 transition, the election of Mouélé was a powerful reminder of the fact that it still had a key role to play in Congolese politics. The PCT and URD officially signed an alliance on 30 September.
With control of the National Assembly, the URD–PCT alliance pressed for the appointment of Bernard Kolélas as Prime Minister. Because President Lissouba was unwilling to appoint Kolélas, the URD–PCT alliance passed a vote of no-confidence against the government of Prime Minister Stéphane Maurice Bongho-Nouarra
on 31 October 1992. The pro-Lissouba deputies were not present for the vote, and it was conducted by a show of hands
. As a result of the vote, Bongho-Nouarra resigned on 11 November.
Under the circumstances, Lissouba had few viable options available under the constitution; still unwilling to appoint Kolélas, he chose to dissolve the National Assembly on 17 November, after it had been sitting for only two months. Enraged by Lissouba's decision, URD–PCT supporters reacted with violence in the streets of Brazzaville.
The political crisis precipitated by Lissouba's dissolution of the National Assembly was resolved through the formation of an opposition-dominated power-sharing government, led by Prime Minister Claude Antoine Dacosta. By assuaging the URD–PCT alliance, the Dacosta government was intended to stabilize the political situation and produce the appropriate conditions for the organization of an early parliamentary election
, which was held in May 1993. Nevertheless, the election proved to be extremely controversial; the pro-Lissouba coalition officially prevailed in the first round of the election, leading the URD–PCT alliance to denounce the results as fraudulent and boycott the second round.
Violence renewed and intensified after the election. In June 1993, Lissouba appointed a new government based on his new parliamentary majority, but the URD–PCT alliance refused to accept it and created its own parallel government, while also setting up a parallel National Assembly. Mouélé was elected to head the opposition's National Assembly.
returned to power in 1997, Mouélé worked in the state administration. He was the Central Director of State Procurements and Contracts as of 2006. Later, he was appointed as President of the Regulatory Council of the Regulatory Agency of Posts and Electronic Telecommunications on 30 December 2009.
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. During the single-party rule of the Congolese Labour Party (PCT), he served in the government of Congo-Brazzaville as Minister of Culture, Arts, and Sports and as Minister of Labour and Justice in the 1970s. After the introduction of multiparty politics, he briefly served as 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:...
from September 1992 to November 1992.
Political career during single-party rule
A native of Cuvette Department and a magistrate by profession, Mouélé was appointed as President of the Court of Appeal in BrazzavilleBrazzaville
-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...
in November 1969. President Marien Ngouabi
Marien Ngouabi
Marien Ngouabi was the military President of the Republic of the Congo from January 1, 1969 to March 18, 1977.-Origins:...
subsequently appointed him to the government as Minister of Culture, Arts, and Sports on 30 August 1973. After a period out of the government, Mouélé was appointed as Minister of Labour and Justice on 18 November 1978, and he was elected to the PCT Central Committee at the PCT Extraordinary Congress held on 26–31 March 1979.
At the PCT's Third Ordinary Congress, held on 27–31 July 1984, Mouélé was re-elected to the 75-member PCT Central Committee. He also served as Vice-President of the National People's Assembly.
1992–1993 events
Following the introduction of multiparty politics, Mouélé, who was a member of the PCT Political Bureau, was elected to the National Assembly as a PCT candidate in the June–July 1992 parliamentary electionRepublic 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...
. The PCT was briefly allied with 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....
and his party, the Pan-African Union for Social Democracy
Pan-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), and it backed Lissouba in the second round of 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...
. However, after Lissouba won the election, he appointed only three PCT members to the government in September 1992; the PCT, believing it had been denied an appropriately proportional level of representation in the government, was infuriated. It promptly abandoned its alliance with UPADS and moved toward the creation of an alliance with the Union for Democratic Renewal
Union for Democratic Renewal (Congo)
The Union for Democratic Renewal was a coalition of political parties in the Republic of the Congo. The coalition was led by Bernard Kolélas, who was also the leader of the coalition's largest party, the Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development...
(URD), a seven-party opposition coalition led by Bernard Kolélas
Bernard Kolélas
Bernard Bakana Kolélas was a Congolese politician and President of the Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development...
.
The PCT's change in allegiance deprived President Lissouba of his parliamentary majority. Although Lissouba favored Ange-Edouard Poungui for the post of President of the National Assembly, he could not prevent the opposition from electing the candidate of its choice. In a parliamentary vote on 24 September 1992, Mouélé was elected as President of National Assembly through the combined votes of the PCT and the URD. He received 66 votes against 52 for Poungui; seven deputies cast blank votes. Although the PCT had been severely weakened by the events of the 1991–1992 transition, the election of Mouélé was a powerful reminder of the fact that it still had a key role to play in Congolese politics. The PCT and URD officially signed an alliance on 30 September.
With control of the National Assembly, the URD–PCT alliance pressed for the appointment of Bernard Kolélas as Prime Minister. Because President Lissouba was unwilling to appoint Kolélas, the URD–PCT alliance passed a vote of no-confidence against the government of Prime Minister Stéphane Maurice Bongho-Nouarra
Stéphane Maurice Bongho-Nouarra
Stéphane Maurice Bongho-Nouarra was a Congolese politician. He served in the government of Congo-Brazzaville during the late 1960s, and after a long period in exile, he returned and played an important role in the politics of the 1990s...
on 31 October 1992. The pro-Lissouba deputies were not present for the vote, and it was conducted by a show of hands
Show of hands
A show of hands is a common voting method used in committees and other informal or small gatherings for voting. It is more precise than a voice vote but does not require members to leave their seats. However, it does not count as a division of the assembly, and is not always as effective as a...
. As a result of the vote, Bongho-Nouarra resigned on 11 November.
Under the circumstances, Lissouba had few viable options available under the constitution; still unwilling to appoint Kolélas, he chose to dissolve the National Assembly on 17 November, after it had been sitting for only two months. Enraged by Lissouba's decision, URD–PCT supporters reacted with violence in the streets of Brazzaville.
The political crisis precipitated by Lissouba's dissolution of the National Assembly was resolved through the formation of an opposition-dominated power-sharing government, led by Prime Minister Claude Antoine Dacosta. By assuaging the URD–PCT alliance, the Dacosta government was intended to stabilize the political situation and produce the appropriate conditions for the organization of an early 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....
, which was held in May 1993. Nevertheless, the election proved to be extremely controversial; the pro-Lissouba coalition officially prevailed in the first round of the election, leading the URD–PCT alliance to denounce the results as fraudulent and boycott the second round.
Violence renewed and intensified after the election. In June 1993, Lissouba appointed a new government based on his new parliamentary majority, but the URD–PCT alliance refused to accept it and created its own parallel government, while also setting up a parallel National Assembly. Mouélé was elected to head the opposition's National Assembly.
Activities since 1997
After Denis Sassou NguessoDenis 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...
returned to power in 1997, Mouélé worked in the state administration. He was the Central Director of State Procurements and Contracts as of 2006. Later, he was appointed as President of the Regulatory Council of the Regulatory Agency of Posts and Electronic Telecommunications on 30 December 2009.