Bernard Tchibambelela
Encyclopedia
Bernard Tchibambelela is a Congolese
politician. He is a member of the Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development
(MCDDI) and has been the Second Vice-President of the National Assembly of the Republic of the Congo
since 2007.
, was born in Brazzaville
in 1946. He received degrees in economics, rural law, and agronomic engineering, and he headed banks in Congo-Brazzaville and France
; he was Director of Rural Credit in Congo-Brazzaville for a time. During the single-party rule of the Congolese Labour Party (PCT), Tchibambelela was a member of the PCT; he was considered a protegé of Pierre Moussa
, the Minister of Planning and Finance, and was elected to the PCT Central Committee at the PCT's Fourth Ordinary Congress, held on 26–31 July 1989. The PCT regime was forced to introduce multiparty politics in 1990, and Tchibambelela joined the MCDDI, a new party led by Bernard Kolélas
, in 1991. The MCDDI drew its main support from members of the Lari ethnic group, like Tchibambelela, as well as the Bakongo, and it was the dominant party in the Pool Region
.
In the June–July 1992 parliamentary election
, Tchibambelela was elected to the National Assembly as the MCDDI candidate in the second constituency of Goma Tsé-Tsé, located in the Pool Region. After the election, the MCDDI and six other parties formed the Union for Democratic Renewal
(URD), an opposition coalition, on 27 August 1992. The PCT—which had briefly formed an alliance with Pascal Lissouba
and his Pan-African Union for Social Democracy
(UPADS)—then defected to the opposition, and together the URD–PCT alliance held a parliamentary majority.
With its parliamentary majority, the URD–PCT alliance was able to elect the candidates of its choice to the top posts in the National Assembly. In the vote, held on 24 September 1992, the PCT's André Mouélé
was elected as President of the National Assembly, while Tchibambelela was elected as its First Vice-President. Tchibambelela held that position for only two months, however; President Lissouba was unwilling to cooperate with an opposition-controlled National Assembly and dissolved it on 17 November 1992.
President Lissouba's dissolution of the National Assembly necessitated a new parliamentary election
, which was held in May–June 1993. Tchibambelela was re-elected to his seat from Goma Tsé-Tsé, but the URD–PCT alliance was narrowly defeated by the pro-Lissouba coalition. The opposition furiously contested the official results of the 1993 election, and serious political violence followed. Amidst the violence, Tchibambelela was Vice-President of the ad hoc Parliamentary Commission for Peace. An agreement signed on 30 January 1994 facilitated a gradual return to peace.
Tchibambelela remained a Deputy in the National Assembly until October 1997, when rebel forces supporting Denis Sassou Nguesso
captured Brazzaville at the end of the 1997 civil war.
as the MCDDI candidate in the Mbanza-Ndounga constituency of the Pool Region; he won the seat in the first round with 60.98% of the vote. On 4 September 2007, when the National Assembly held its first meeting of the new parliamentary term, he was elected as Second Vice-President of the National Assembly, receiving 120 votes from the 129 deputies who voted. He was additionally assigned responsibility for the National Assembly's relations with the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie.
As President of the Association of Parliamentarians of the Pool, Tchibambelela released a statement in early July 2009 affirming that all of the Pool's parliamentarians supported President Sassou Nguesso's bid for re-election in the July 2009 presidential election
.
Tchibambelela published a book, Le Commerce mondial de la faim : stratégie de rupture positive au Congo-Brazzaville, through L'Harmattan in October 2009. The book discussed the problem of hunger in the developing world and Tchibambelela's ideas for solving the problem in Congo-Brazzaville.
Bernard Kolélas died in November 2009, and Tchibambelela was subsequently considered one of the main potential contenders for the party leadership, along with Kolélas' son Guy Brice Parfait Kolélas
.
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. He is a member 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) and has been the Second Vice-President of the National Assembly of the Republic of the Congo
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:...
since 2007.
Political career during the 1980s and 1990s
Tchibambelela, a member of the Lari ethnic groupLari (ethnic group)
The Lari is an ethnic group of the Republic of the Congo and the name of the language they speak. A subgroup of the Kongo people, the Laris live in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire and the Pool Region, where they constitute almost the entire population. There an estimated 1.2 million Laris living in Congo...
, was born in Brazzaville
Brazzaville
-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 1946. He received degrees in economics, rural law, and agronomic engineering, and he headed banks in Congo-Brazzaville and France
France
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...
; he was Director of Rural Credit in Congo-Brazzaville for a time. During the single-party rule of the Congolese Labour Party (PCT), Tchibambelela was a member of the PCT; he was considered a protegé of Pierre Moussa
Pierre Moussa
Pierre Moussa is a Congolese politician, currently serving as Minister of the Economy and Planning. He served in the government from 1979 to 1991 and has again served in the government since 1997. He was Acting Prime Minister from December 1990 to January 1991.-Political career:Moussa was born in...
, the Minister of Planning and Finance, and was elected to the PCT Central Committee at the PCT's Fourth Ordinary Congress, held on 26–31 July 1989. The PCT regime was forced to introduce multiparty politics in 1990, and Tchibambelela joined the MCDDI, a new party led by Bernard Kolélas
Bernard Kolélas
Bernard Bakana Kolélas was a Congolese politician and President of the Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development...
, in 1991. The MCDDI drew its main support from members of the Lari ethnic group, like Tchibambelela, as well as the Bakongo, and it was the dominant party in the Pool Region
Pool Region
Pool is a department of the Republic of the Congo in the southeastern part of the country. It borders the departments of Bouenza, Lékoumou, and Plateaux, and internationally, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It also surrounds the commune district of the national capital, Brazzaville. The...
.
In the June–July 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...
, Tchibambelela was elected to the National Assembly as the MCDDI candidate in the second constituency of Goma Tsé-Tsé, located in the Pool Region. After the election, the MCDDI and six other parties 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), an opposition coalition, on 27 August 1992. The PCT—which had briefly formed an alliance 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 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)—then defected to the opposition, and together the URD–PCT alliance held a parliamentary majority.
With its parliamentary majority, the URD–PCT alliance was able to elect the candidates of its choice to the top posts in the National Assembly. In the vote, held on 24 September 1992, the PCT's André Mouélé
André Mouélé
André Mouélé is a Congolese politician. During the single-party rule of the Congolese Labour Party , 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...
was elected as President of the National Assembly, while Tchibambelela was elected as its First Vice-President. Tchibambelela held that position for only two months, however; President Lissouba was unwilling to cooperate with an opposition-controlled National Assembly and dissolved it on 17 November 1992.
President Lissouba's dissolution of the National Assembly necessitated a new 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–June 1993. Tchibambelela was re-elected to his seat from Goma Tsé-Tsé, but the URD–PCT alliance was narrowly defeated by the pro-Lissouba coalition. The opposition furiously contested the official results of the 1993 election, and serious political violence followed. Amidst the violence, Tchibambelela was Vice-President of the ad hoc Parliamentary Commission for Peace. An agreement signed on 30 January 1994 facilitated a gradual return to peace.
Tchibambelela remained a Deputy in the National Assembly until October 1997, when rebel forces supporting 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...
captured Brazzaville at the end of the 1997 civil war.
Political career since 2007
Tchibambelela, a member of the National Committee of the MCDDI, was elected to the National Assembly in the June 2007 parliamentary electionRepublic 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...
as the MCDDI candidate in the Mbanza-Ndounga constituency of the Pool Region; he won the seat in the first round with 60.98% of the vote. On 4 September 2007, when the National Assembly held its first meeting of the new parliamentary term, he was elected as Second Vice-President of the National Assembly, receiving 120 votes from the 129 deputies who voted. He was additionally assigned responsibility for the National Assembly's relations with the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie.
As President of the Association of Parliamentarians of the Pool, Tchibambelela released a statement in early July 2009 affirming that all of the Pool's parliamentarians supported President Sassou Nguesso's bid for re-election in the July 2009 presidential election
Republic of the Congo presidential election, 2009
A presidential election was held in the Republic of the Congo on 12 July 2009. Long-time President Denis Sassou Nguesso won another seven-year term with a large majority of the vote, but the election was marked by accusations of irregularities and fraud from the opposition; six opposition...
.
Tchibambelela published a book, Le Commerce mondial de la faim : stratégie de rupture positive au Congo-Brazzaville, through L'Harmattan in October 2009. The book discussed the problem of hunger in the developing world and Tchibambelela's ideas for solving the problem in Congo-Brazzaville.
Bernard Kolélas died in November 2009, and Tchibambelela was subsequently considered one of the main potential contenders for the party leadership, along with Kolélas' son Guy Brice Parfait Kolélas
Guy Brice Parfait Kolélas
Guy Brice Parfait Kolélas is a Congolese politician. The son of Bernard Kolélas, he was Minister of Marine and Inland Fishing, in charge of Aquaculture, from 2007 to 2009, and he has been Minister of the Civil Service, in charge of State Reform, since 2009...
.