Louis-Gaston Mayila
Encyclopedia
Louis-Gaston Mayila is a Gabon
ese politician. He is currently the President of the Union for the New Republic (UPRN), a political party.
. Subsequently he was appointed as Director of the Cabinet of the President of the Republic in 1975. While retaining that post, he obtained the rank of Minister in 1976 and was assigned responsibility for posts and telecommunications; he was also placed in charge of relations with the National Timber Company of Gabon (Société Nationale des Bois du Gabon, SNBG). He held the position of Minister of Postal Services, Reform and Semi-Public Firms, Tourism, and National Parks until being dismissed from the government on 4 February 1978.
Mayila was Secretary-General of the Government with the rank of Minister in 1980; subsequently he was Minister of National Education from late 1980 to 1987. He was then Minister of Labor, Employment, Human Resources, and Professional Training from 1987 to 1989, Minister of State for Labor, Employment, and Professional Training from 1989 to 1990, and Personal Adviser to the President of the Republic for Development and Public Investments from 1990 to 1992.
In 1992, Mayila resigned from his post as Personal Adviser to the President and founded a new party, the People's Unity Party (Parti de l'Unité du Peuple, PUP). However, his new party allied with the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party
(PDG) and supported President Bongo's candidacy in the 1993 presidential election
. Mayila participated in the negotiations that led to the signing of the Paris Accords between the government and the opposition in 1994 and was then appointed as Minister-Delegate under the Prime Minister in charge of Decentralization and Mobile Security. He was subsequently promoted to the post of Minister of the Interior, Decentralization, and Mobile Security in early 1995.
Mayila became President of the Economic and Social Council (CES) in early 1997, and he rejoined the PDG in 2005. He was given the position of Vice-President of the PDG. At the time of the November 2005 presidential election
, he worked on Bongo's re-election campaign as President of the Commission for Gabonese Abroad. In early 2006, he was appointed to the government as Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and left his post at the CES.
Mayila supported some independent candidates at the time of the December 2006 parliamentary election
, although none of them were successful; he did not personally stand as a candidate. Feeling marginalized within the PDG, he threatened to quit in order to create a new party. On 28 February 2007, PDG Secretary-General Simplice Nguédet Manzéla publicly called on Mayila to abandon his threat and respect party discipline
by discussing his complaints strictly within the party's internal structures.
On 16 July 2007, Mayila announced the formation of a new party, the UPRN, which was intended to be part of the Presidential Majority coalition of parties supporting President Bongo. Bongo promptly dismissed Mayila from the government in a decree issued on the same day, appointing Jean-François Ndongou to take over his portfolio.
Mayila, still awaiting the legalization of the UPRN, met with Bongo on 3 October 2007 to explain the difficulties his new party was experiencing and "to resolve misunderstandings". On 12 January 2008, Mayila held a press conference to announce that the party had been legally recognized and would therefore participate in the April 2008 local elections
.
Mayila remained supportive of Bongo following his dismissal from the government; in his office, he kept a photograph of himself whispering into Bongo's ear. Speaking to the Associated Press
in March 2008, he said that Gabon was "neither dictatorship nor democracy, neither paradise nor hell. We are something in between." While acknowledging the country's problems—"no roads, not enough schools, too much unemployment"—he stressed that Gabonese would "fix things on our own time, in our own way—peacefully—not through war."
Omar Bongo died in June 2009. As the President of the UPRN, Mayila backed opposition candidate Pierre Mamboundou
for the 30 August 2009 presidential election
; the UPRN was one of several parties to support Mamboundou in an effort to unite behind a single opposition candidate. Immediately following the coalition's selection of Mamboundou, Mayila told the press on 21 July 2009: "You have asked for a single candidate for the opposition ... I offer you hope, I offer you a new way for Gabon."
Following the election, Mayila held a press conference on 31 August 2009 in which he claimed that Mamboundou had won the election with 39.15% of the vote. The other two main candidates, Ali-Ben Bongo
and André Mba Obame
, also claimed victory, but Mayila said that the figures he provided, which included a breakdown of votes from each province, "demonstrate[d] clearly" that Mamboundou was the winner.
.
– Grand Croix dans l’Ordre National du Mérite Gabonais
-Grand Officier dans l’Ordre National du Mérite
– Commandeur dans l’Ordre National de l’Etoile Equatoriale du Gabon
– Grand Officier dans l’Ordre du Mérite
– Commandeur de Mérite
– Grand Officier dans l’ordre de l’Etoile Equatoriale
– Grand Officier dans l’Ordre National du Mérite
– Commandeur de la Légion d’Honneur
– Commandeur des Palmes Académiques
– Commandeur du Wissam Al Alaoui
– Commandeur dans l’Ordre du Mono.
– Commandeur du Mérite
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. He is currently the President of the Union for the New Republic (UPRN), a political party.
Political career
Mayila was born at Boungounga, located in Ngounie Province. In 1973, he became an official at the Shell Gabon oil company in charge of training and recruitment; he was also appointed as Secretary-General of Civil and Commercial Aviation in the same year. He then became Director of the National School of Administration in 1974, and at the end of 1974 he became Deputy Personal Adviser to the President of Gabon, Omar BongoOmar 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....
. Subsequently he was appointed as Director of the Cabinet of the President of the Republic in 1975. While retaining that post, he obtained the rank of Minister in 1976 and was assigned responsibility for posts and telecommunications; he was also placed in charge of relations with the National Timber Company of Gabon (Société Nationale des Bois du Gabon, SNBG). He held the position of Minister of Postal Services, Reform and Semi-Public Firms, Tourism, and National Parks until being dismissed from the government on 4 February 1978.
Mayila was Secretary-General of the Government with the rank of Minister in 1980; subsequently he was Minister of National Education from late 1980 to 1987. He was then Minister of Labor, Employment, Human Resources, and Professional Training from 1987 to 1989, Minister of State for Labor, Employment, and Professional Training from 1989 to 1990, and Personal Adviser to the President of the Republic for Development and Public Investments from 1990 to 1992.
In 1992, Mayila resigned from his post as Personal Adviser to the President and founded a new party, the People's Unity Party (Parti de l'Unité du Peuple, PUP). However, his new party allied with the ruling 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) and supported President Bongo's candidacy in the 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...
. Mayila participated in the negotiations that led to the signing of the Paris Accords between the government and the opposition in 1994 and was then appointed as Minister-Delegate under the Prime Minister in charge of Decentralization and Mobile Security. He was subsequently promoted to the post of Minister of the Interior, Decentralization, and Mobile Security in early 1995.
Mayila became President of the Economic and Social Council (CES) in early 1997, and he rejoined the PDG in 2005. He was given the position of Vice-President of the PDG. At the time of the November 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...
, he worked on Bongo's re-election campaign as President of the Commission for Gabonese Abroad. In early 2006, he was appointed to the government as Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and left his post at the CES.
Mayila supported some independent candidates at the time of the December 2006 parliamentary election
Gabonese legislative election, 2006
A legislative election was held in Gabon on 17 December 2006 ....
, although none of them were successful; he did not personally stand as a candidate. Feeling marginalized within the PDG, he threatened to quit in order to create a new party. On 28 February 2007, PDG Secretary-General Simplice Nguédet Manzéla publicly called on Mayila to abandon his threat and respect party discipline
Party discipline
Party discipline is the ability of a parliamentary group of a political party to get its members to support the policies of their party leadership. In liberal democracies, it usually refers to the control that party leaders have over its legislature...
by discussing his complaints strictly within the party's internal structures.
On 16 July 2007, Mayila announced the formation of a new party, the UPRN, which was intended to be part of the Presidential Majority coalition of parties supporting President Bongo. Bongo promptly dismissed Mayila from the government in a decree issued on the same day, appointing Jean-François Ndongou to take over his portfolio.
Mayila, still awaiting the legalization of the UPRN, met with Bongo on 3 October 2007 to explain the difficulties his new party was experiencing and "to resolve misunderstandings". On 12 January 2008, Mayila held a press conference to announce that the party had been legally recognized and would therefore participate in 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 :...
.
Mayila remained supportive of Bongo following his dismissal from the government; in his office, he kept a photograph of himself whispering into Bongo's ear. Speaking to the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
in March 2008, he said that Gabon was "neither dictatorship nor democracy, neither paradise nor hell. We are something in between." While acknowledging the country's problems—"no roads, not enough schools, too much unemployment"—he stressed that Gabonese would "fix things on our own time, in our own way—peacefully—not through war."
Omar Bongo died in June 2009. As the President of the UPRN, Mayila backed opposition candidate 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...
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...
; the UPRN was one of several parties to support Mamboundou in an effort to unite behind a single opposition candidate. Immediately following the coalition's selection of Mamboundou, Mayila told the press on 21 July 2009: "You have asked for a single candidate for the opposition ... I offer you hope, I offer you a new way for Gabon."
Following the election, Mayila held a press conference on 31 August 2009 in which he claimed that Mamboundou had won the election with 39.15% of the vote. The other two main candidates, 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...
and 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...
, also claimed victory, but Mayila said that the figures he provided, which included a breakdown of votes from each province, "demonstrate[d] clearly" that Mamboundou was the winner.
Business career
Aside from politics, Mayila has also served as president of numerous companies, notably national airlines. He has been the President of Air Inter Gabon, COFMA (Compagnie Forestière de Tsamba Magotsi), AGAR, and Air GabonAir Gabon
Air Gabon was the national, state-owned airline of Gabon, operating out of Libreville International Airport to a variety of destinations across Western and Southern Africa, as well as to Europe and the Middle East....
.
Awards
Mayila has received many national awards for his service in politics, not only from Gabon but from other African nations and France. The official French titles are given below:– Grand Croix dans l’Ordre National du Mérite Gabonais
-Grand Officier dans l’Ordre National du Mérite
– Commandeur dans l’Ordre National de l’Etoile Equatoriale du Gabon
– Grand Officier dans l’Ordre du Mérite
– Commandeur de Mérite
– Grand Officier dans l’ordre de l’Etoile Equatoriale
– Grand Officier dans l’Ordre National du Mérite
Ordre National du Mérite
The Ordre national du Mérite is an Order of State awarded by the President of the French Republic. It was founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle...
– Commandeur de la Légion d’Honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
– Commandeur des Palmes Académiques
– Commandeur du Wissam Al Alaoui
– Commandeur dans l’Ordre du Mono.
– Commandeur du Mérite