El Hajj Aboubacar Somparé (born 31 August 1944) is a
GuineaGuinea, officially Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa formerly known as French Guinea . The country's current population is estimated at 10,211,437 ....
n politician who was President of the
National Assembly of GuineaThe unicameral National Assembly of Guinea is the country's legislative body.The National Assembly that was formed following the 30 June 2002 parliamentary election had a total of 114 members...
from 2002 to 2008. He is a member of the
Unity and Progress PartyThe Unity and Progress Party is a political party in Guinea.In the parliamentary election held on 30 June, 2002, the party won 61.57 % of the popular vote and 85 out of 114 seats...
(PUP).
Somparé was born in Dakonta, located in
Boké PrefectureBoké is a prefecture located in the Boké Region of Guinea. The capital is Boké. The prefecture covers an area of 11,053 km.² and has an estimated population of 289,000.-Sub-prefectures:The prefecture is divided admininstratively into sub-prefectures:...
. He was the Regional Director of Education in
LabéLabé is the main city of the Fouta Djallon region of Guinea. Population 58,649 . The town was founded around 1755 by Karamoko Alpha....
from August 1970 to September 1973, Director-General of Secondary Education at the Ministry of Pre-University Education from September 1973 to December 1976, and Director-General of the Information Services from December 1976 to February 1978.
El Hajj Aboubacar Somparé (born 31 August 1944) is a
GuineaGuinea, officially Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa formerly known as French Guinea . The country's current population is estimated at 10,211,437 ....
n politician who was President of the
National Assembly of GuineaThe unicameral National Assembly of Guinea is the country's legislative body.The National Assembly that was formed following the 30 June 2002 parliamentary election had a total of 114 members...
from 2002 to 2008. He is a member of the
Unity and Progress PartyThe Unity and Progress Party is a political party in Guinea.In the parliamentary election held on 30 June, 2002, the party won 61.57 % of the popular vote and 85 out of 114 seats...
(PUP).
Career
Somparé was born in Dakonta, located in
Boké PrefectureBoké is a prefecture located in the Boké Region of Guinea. The capital is Boké. The prefecture covers an area of 11,053 km.² and has an estimated population of 289,000.-Sub-prefectures:The prefecture is divided admininstratively into sub-prefectures:...
. He was the Regional Director of Education in
LabéLabé is the main city of the Fouta Djallon region of Guinea. Population 58,649 . The town was founded around 1755 by Karamoko Alpha....
from August 1970 to September 1973, Director-General of Secondary Education at the Ministry of Pre-University Education from September 1973 to December 1976, and Director-General of the Information Services from December 1976 to February 1978. Subsequently he was posted to
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
as Guinea's Ambassador to
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
from February 1978 to September 1984; after his return from Paris, he was an advisor at the Ministry of Administrative Reform and the Civil Service from November 1984 to July 1986. He was then Administrator of the Palace of Nations (the presidential palace) in
ConakryConakry or Konakiri is the capital and largest city of Guinea. Conakry is a port city on the Atlantic Ocean and serves as the economic, financial and cultural center of Guinea with a population of 1,931,184...
from July 1986 to May 1987 and Rector of the University of Conakry from May 1987 to May 1989.
From August 1989 to October 1990, Somparé was the National Coordinator of the Adjustment Programme for the Education Sector; he was then Secretary-General of the Ministry of the Interior and Decentralization from October 1990 to March 1992. Later, he was elected to the National Assembly in the June 1995 parliamentary election, and at that time he became Secretary-General of the PUP as well as President of the PUP/PCN Parliamentary Group. He remained in those positions until 2002.
After Somparé was re-elected to the National Assembly in the June 2002 parliamentary election, he was chosen by President
Lansana ContéLansana Conté was the President of Guinea from 3 April 1984 until his death. He was a Muslim and a member of the Susu ethnic group.-Early life:...
to become President of the National Assembly. Conté had some difficulty obtaining the necessary support for Somparé among parliamentary deputies, and for that reason he delayed the opening of the National Assembly. Ultimately he was elected as President of the National Assembly at a special session on 23 September 2002, receiving the support of 87 of the 106 deputies who voted.
Events of December 2008
In the early hours of 23 December 2008, Somparé announced on television that President
Lansana ContéLansana Conté was the President of Guinea from 3 April 1984 until his death. He was a Muslim and a member of the Susu ethnic group.-Early life:...
had died "after a long illness" on the previous day. According to the constitution, the President of the National Assembly was to assume the Presidency of the Republic in the event of a vacancy, and a new presidential election was to be held within 60 days. Somparé requested that the President of the Supreme Court,
Lamine SidiméLamine Sidimé is the President of the Supreme Court of Guinea. He was Prime Minister of Guinea from 1999 to 2004.Sidimé served as President of the Supreme Court before being appointed as Prime Minister by President Lansana Conte in March 1999, replacing Sidya Touré. After five years in office, he...
, declare a vacancy in the Presidency and apply the constitution. Prime Minister
Ahmed Tidiane SouaréAhmed Tidiane Souaré is a Guinean political figure who was the Prime Minister of Guinea from May 2008 to December 2008, when he was replaced by Kabine Komara following a military coup d'état.-Career in state administration and the government:...
and Diarra Camara, the head of the army, stood alongside Somparé during his announcement.
Six hours after Somparé announced Conté's death, a statement was read on television announcing an apparent
military coup d'étatThe 2008 Guinean coup d'état was a Guinean military coup d'état that occurred in Guinea on 23 December 2008, shortly after the death of long-time President Lansana Conté...
. This statement, read on behalf of a junta called the
National Council for Democracy and DevelopmentThe National Council for Democracy and Development is the ruling junta of Guinea.-Historical background:The CNDD seized power in the 2008 Guinean coup d'état on 23 December 2008...
(CNDD), said that "the government and the institutions of the republic have been dissolved"; it also announced that the constitution was suspended. Somparé spent several days in hiding before emerging on 27 December to attend a meeting of political and social representatives that was called by the junta and held at the Alpha Yaya Diallo military camp.