Auguste-Célestin Gongarad Nkoua
Encyclopedia
Auguste-Célestin Gongarad Nkoua is a Congolese
politician and the President of the Patriotic Union for Democracy and Progress
(UPDP), a political party. He served in the government of Congo-Brazzaville as Minister of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry from 1991 to 1992, as Minister of Water and Forests from 1992 to 1993, and again as Minister of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry from 1997 to 2002. Subsequently he was President of the Economic and Social Council, a state institution, from 2003 to 2009. Since 2009, he has been the Personal Representative of the President of the Republic for Political Affairs.
, Gongarad Nkoua was a journalist and a printer by profession. Along with 300 others, he signed the petition of 7 July 1990, calling on President Denis Sassou Nguesso
to convene a national conference for political reform. In the week that followed, the discovery of a plot—which was dubbed the "Téké plot" due to the ethnicity of the alleged conspirators—to oust Sassou Nguesso was announced, and Gongarad Nkoua was arrested, along with Clement Miérassa
, who had also signed the petition.
The arrests followed a police search of Gongarad Nkoua's home, in which the police were said to have found "seditious documents" indicating that Gongarad Nkoua had been preparing a coup plot since November 1987. The government insisted that the arrests were based on involvement in a coup plot and were unrelated to the petition. However, Gongarad Nkoua spent only a few weeks in jail. In a gesture of clemency marking the 27th anniversary of the 1963 revolution, President Sassou Nguesso granted an amnesty to Gongarad Nkoua and other political prisoners on 14 August 1990.
Gongarad Nkoua was a delegate to the February–June 1991 National Conference, which established transitional institutions in preparation for multiparty elections in 1992. At the National Conference, he was one of four candidates for the post of First Vice-President of the Higher Council of the Republic (CSR), which was being set up as the legislature for the 1991–1992 transitional period. After two of the other candidates withdrew, Gongarad Nkoua faced Jean-Michel Bokamba-Yangouma
in a third round of voting; he received 331 votes against 491 for Bokamba-Yangouma. Although the necessary quorum of delegates was not reached, Gongarad Nkoua chose to withdraw at that point in favor of Bokamba-Yangouma. He was instead given the post of Minister of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry in the transitional government of Prime Minister André Milongo
, holding that post until 1992.
Leading his own political party, the UPDP, Gongarad Nkoua stood as a candidate in the August 1992 presidential election
. He attracted little support, placing ninth with 0.69% of the vote. He received 6.3% of the vote in Plateaux Region, but in every other region his score was negligible. Subsequently he and the UPDP supported Bernard Kolélas
, the candidate of the Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development
(MCDDI), in the second round of the election, but Kolélas was defeated by Pascal Lissouba
, the candidate of the Pan-African Union for Social Democracy
(UPADS). The MCDDI, the UPDP, and five other parties then formed the Union for Democratic Renewal
(URD) opposition coalition on 27 August 1992.
After Lissouba took office as President, the Congolese Labour Party (PCT), which had briefly supported him, defected to the opposition. Together with other URD leaders, Gongarad Nkoua signed an alliance between the URD and the PCT in September 1992. That alliance gave the URD and PCT a parliamentary majority, and consequently President Lissouba dissolved the National Assembly
in November 1992. His decision provoked a political crisis that was resolved through the formation of an opposition-dominated power-sharing government, led by Prime Minister Claude Antoine Dacosta. In that government, which was appointed on 25 December 1992, Gongarad Nkoua was included as Minister of Water and Forests. The Dacosta government remained in office for six months; it was replaced by Lissouba following the early parliamentary election
that was held in May–June 1993.
Lissouba was later ousted by rebel forces loyal to Sassou Nguesso at the end of the June–October 1997 civil war. As President, Sassou Nguesso appointed Gongarad Nkoua to the government as Minister of State for Agriculture and Animal Husbandry on 2 November 1997. After a little more than a year, Gongarad Nkoua was appointed as Minister of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry (without the rank of Minister of State) on 12 January 1999.
, Gongarad Nkoua, who was still serving as Minister of Agriculture, headed the National Electoral Commission's operations for Ouenzé
, the fifth arrondissement of Brazzaville. At a meeting in Ouenzé on 6 January 2002, he said that the new constitution was written with "past mistakes that led the country into a vicious cycle of tribal violence" in mind, and he urged the people to vote for it, saying that it would be conducive to good governance. He also stressed the importance of maintaining a peaceful atmosphere for the referendum.
Gongarad Nkoua supported Sassou Nguesso's candidacy in the March 2002 presidential election
. Along with other important allies of Sassou Nguesso, he was included on the support committee for Sassou Nguesso's candidacy when it was publicly launched on 6 February 2002.
In the May 2002 parliamentary election
, Gongarad Nkoua was elected to the National Assembly as the UPDP candidate in the Ngo constituency of Plateaux Region; he won the seat in the first round with 63.27% of the vote. After nearly five years in the government, he was dismissed from the government on 18 August 2002 and consequently sat as a Deputy in the National Assembly.
A year after Gongarad Nkoua's dismissal from the government, President Sassou Nguesso appointed him as President of the Economic and Social Council on 13 August 2003. The Council, a constitutional state institution, is intended to provide advice to the government and the two houses of Parliament
on economic, social, and cultural policy. Speaking at the Council's inaugural session on 18 February 2004, Gongarad Nkoua told the other members of the Council that they "must participate effectively in the development of the nation's economic and social policy, advising the government in its decision-making to enable it to provide the people with better living conditions and the conditions of social peace." He also emphasized the importance of investment, saying that domestic economic activity should be encouraged and that Western countries should work with the Council to facilitate development.
In the June 2007 parliamentary election
, Gongarad Nkoua ran again as the UPDP candidate in Ngo constituency. Rally of Democratic Forces (RFD) candidate Joseph Miokono Hondjuila, who had won the seat in the 1992 parliamentary election
, was considered Gongarad Nkoua's main competitor. Nevertheless, Gongarad Nkoua won an easy victory in the first round, receiving 86.16% of the vote. He remained allied to Sassou Nguesso and was one of many party leaders participating in the creation of the Rally for the Presidential Majority (RMP), a coalition of pro-Sassou Nguesso parties, on 20 December 2007.
On 18 September 2009, President Sassou Nguesso appointed Jean-Marie Tassoua
, another long-time ally, to replace Gongarad Nkoua as President of the Economic and Social Council. He instead appointed Gongarad Nkoua as Personal Representative of the President of the Republic for Political Affairs on the same day.
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 and the President of the Patriotic Union for Democracy and Progress
Patriotic Union for Democracy and Progress
The Patriotic Union for Democracy and Progress is a political party in the Republic of the Congo...
(UPDP), a political party. He served in the government of Congo-Brazzaville as Minister of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry from 1991 to 1992, as Minister of Water and Forests from 1992 to 1993, and again as Minister of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry from 1997 to 2002. Subsequently he was President of the Economic and Social Council, a state institution, from 2003 to 2009. Since 2009, he has been the Personal Representative of the President of the Republic for Political Affairs.
Background and 1990s political career
An ethnic TékéBateke
The Bateke are a Central African ethnic group that speak the Teke languages. Its population is situated mainly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo and with a minority in Gabon...
, Gongarad Nkoua was a journalist and a printer by profession. Along with 300 others, he signed the petition of 7 July 1990, calling on 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...
to convene a national conference for political reform. In the week that followed, the discovery of a plot—which was dubbed the "Téké plot" due to the ethnicity of the alleged conspirators—to oust Sassou Nguesso was announced, and Gongarad Nkoua was arrested, along with Clement Miérassa
Clément Miérassa
Clément Miérassa is a Congolese politician who has been President of the Congolese Social Democratic Party since 1990. He served in the government of Congo-Brazzaville as Minister of Trade from 1991 to 1992 and as Minister of Industrial Development from 1992 to 1993...
, who had also signed the petition.
The arrests followed a police search of Gongarad Nkoua's home, in which the police were said to have found "seditious documents" indicating that Gongarad Nkoua had been preparing a coup plot since November 1987. The government insisted that the arrests were based on involvement in a coup plot and were unrelated to the petition. However, Gongarad Nkoua spent only a few weeks in jail. In a gesture of clemency marking the 27th anniversary of the 1963 revolution, President Sassou Nguesso granted an amnesty to Gongarad Nkoua and other political prisoners on 14 August 1990.
Gongarad Nkoua was a delegate to the February–June 1991 National Conference, which established transitional institutions in preparation for multiparty elections in 1992. At the National Conference, he was one of four candidates for the post of First Vice-President of the Higher Council of the Republic (CSR), which was being set up as the legislature for the 1991–1992 transitional period. After two of the other candidates withdrew, Gongarad Nkoua faced Jean-Michel Bokamba-Yangouma
Jean-Michel Bokamba-Yangouma
Jean-Michel Bokamba-Yangouma is a Congolese politician. He was a prominent political figure from the 1970s to the 1990s, heading the Congolese Trade Union Confederation...
in a third round of voting; he received 331 votes against 491 for Bokamba-Yangouma. Although the necessary quorum of delegates was not reached, Gongarad Nkoua chose to withdraw at that point in favor of Bokamba-Yangouma. He was instead given the post of Minister of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry in the transitional government of Prime Minister André Milongo
André Milongo
André Ntsatouabantou Milongo was a Congolese politician who served as Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo from June 1991 to August 1992. He was chosen by the 1991 National Conference to lead the country during its transition to multiparty elections, which were held in 1992...
, holding that post until 1992.
Leading his own political party, the UPDP, Gongarad Nkoua stood as a candidate in 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 attracted little support, placing ninth with 0.69% of the vote. He received 6.3% of the vote in Plateaux Region, but in every other region his score was negligible. Subsequently he and the UPDP supported Bernard Kolélas
Bernard Kolélas
Bernard Bakana Kolélas was a Congolese politician and President of the Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development...
, the candidate of the Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development
Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development
The Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development is a political party in the Republic of the Congo, led by Bernard Kolélas....
(MCDDI), in the second round of the election, but Kolélas was defeated by 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....
, the candidate of 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). The MCDDI, the UPDP, and five other parties then formed 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) opposition coalition on 27 August 1992.
After Lissouba took office as President, the Congolese Labour Party (PCT), which had briefly supported him, defected to the opposition. Together with other URD leaders, Gongarad Nkoua signed an alliance between the URD and the PCT in September 1992. That alliance gave the URD and PCT a parliamentary majority, and consequently President Lissouba dissolved 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:...
in November 1992. His decision provoked a political crisis that was resolved through the formation of an opposition-dominated power-sharing government, led by Prime Minister Claude Antoine Dacosta. In that government, which was appointed on 25 December 1992, Gongarad Nkoua was included as Minister of Water and Forests. The Dacosta government remained in office for six months; it was replaced by Lissouba following the 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....
that was held in May–June 1993.
Lissouba was later ousted by rebel forces loyal to Sassou Nguesso at the end of the June–October 1997 civil war. As President, Sassou Nguesso appointed Gongarad Nkoua to the government as Minister of State for Agriculture and Animal Husbandry on 2 November 1997. After a little more than a year, Gongarad Nkoua was appointed as Minister of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry (without the rank of Minister of State) on 12 January 1999.
Political career since 2000
At the time of the January 2002 constitutional referendumRepublic of the Congo constitutional referendum, 2002
A constitutional referendum was held in the Republic of the Congo on 20 January 2002, with results showed over 87% voted in favour with a voter turnout of 77.5%.-Background:...
, Gongarad Nkoua, who was still serving as Minister of Agriculture, headed the National Electoral Commission's operations for Ouenzé
Ouenze
Ouenzé is one of the arrondissements of Brazzaville, capital of Republic of Congo. It is located in the north of the capital. Brazzaville is divided into seven arrondissements, or districts: Makélékélé , Bacongo , Poto-Poto , Moungali , Ouenzé , Talangaï and Mfilou .There are many sports like...
, the fifth arrondissement of Brazzaville. At a meeting in Ouenzé on 6 January 2002, he said that the new constitution was written with "past mistakes that led the country into a vicious cycle of tribal violence" in mind, and he urged the people to vote for it, saying that it would be conducive to good governance. He also stressed the importance of maintaining a peaceful atmosphere for the referendum.
Gongarad Nkoua supported Sassou Nguesso's candidacy in the March 2002 presidential election
Republic of the Congo presidential election, 2002
A presidential election was held in the Republic of the Congo on 10 March 2002. This followed a civil war in 1997, which returned Denis Sassou Nguesso to power, and a subsequent transitional period, in which a new constitution was written and approved by referendum in January 2002.The election...
. Along with other important allies of Sassou Nguesso, he was included on the support committee for Sassou Nguesso's candidacy when it was publicly launched on 6 February 2002.
In the May 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....
, Gongarad Nkoua was elected to the National Assembly as the UPDP candidate in the Ngo constituency of Plateaux Region; he won the seat in the first round with 63.27% of the vote. After nearly five years in the government, he was dismissed from the government on 18 August 2002 and consequently sat as a Deputy in the National Assembly.
A year after Gongarad Nkoua's dismissal from the government, President Sassou Nguesso appointed him as President of the Economic and Social Council on 13 August 2003. The Council, a constitutional state institution, is intended to provide advice to the government and the two houses of Parliament
Parliament of the Republic of the Congo
The Parliament of the Republic of Congo consists of two chambers:*The Senate *The National Assembly...
on economic, social, and cultural policy. Speaking at the Council's inaugural session on 18 February 2004, Gongarad Nkoua told the other members of the Council that they "must participate effectively in the development of the nation's economic and social policy, advising the government in its decision-making to enable it to provide the people with better living conditions and the conditions of social peace." He also emphasized the importance of investment, saying that domestic economic activity should be encouraged and that Western countries should work with the Council to facilitate development.
In the June 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...
, Gongarad Nkoua ran again as the UPDP candidate in Ngo constituency. Rally of Democratic Forces (RFD) candidate Joseph Miokono Hondjuila, who had won the seat in the 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...
, was considered Gongarad Nkoua's main competitor. Nevertheless, Gongarad Nkoua won an easy victory in the first round, receiving 86.16% of the vote. He remained allied to Sassou Nguesso and was one of many party leaders participating in the creation of the Rally for the Presidential Majority (RMP), a coalition of pro-Sassou Nguesso parties, on 20 December 2007.
On 18 September 2009, President Sassou Nguesso appointed Jean-Marie Tassoua
Jean-Marie Tassoua
Jean-Marie Tassoua is a Congolese politician. Tassoua was a militia commander during the 1997 civil war and served in the government of Congo-Brazzaville as Minister of Energy and Hydraulics from 1997 to 2002...
, another long-time ally, to replace Gongarad Nkoua as President of the Economic and Social Council. He instead appointed Gongarad Nkoua as Personal Representative of the President of the Republic for Political Affairs on the same day.