View source for Guy Nzouba-Ndama

{{short description|Gabonese politician}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name=Guy Nzouba-Ndama
|image =
|image_caption =
|office = [[President of the National Assembly of Gabon]]
|predecessor = [[Marcel Éloi Rahandi Chambrier]]
|successor = [[Richard Onouviet]]
|term_start = 27 January 1997
|term_end = 31 March 2016
|birth_place =
|birth_date = 17 July 1946
|death_date =
|party = [[Gabonese Democratic Party]]
}}
'''Guy Nzouba-Ndama''' (born 17 July 1946)<ref name=Guerre>Janis Otsiemi, ''Guerre de succession au Gabon: les prétendants'' (2007), page 50 {{in lang|fr}}.</ref> is a [[Gabon]]ese politician who was President of the [[National Assembly of Gabon]] from 1997 to 2016. He previously served in the government of Gabon as Minister of National Education from 1987 to 1990 and was President of the Parliamentary Group of the [[Gabonese Democratic Party]] (''Parti démocratique gabonais'', PDG) from 1990 to 1996.
==Background and early career==
Nzouba-Ndama was born at [[Koulamoutou]], located in [[Lolo-Bouenguidi Department]]; he is an ethnic [[Nzebi]]. After studying in France,<ref name=Forever>Georges Dougueli, [http://www.jeuneafrique.com/Article/JA2678p038-039.xml1/senegal-un-gabon-cameroungabon-guy-nzouba-ndama-bongo-forever.html "Gabon : Guy Nzouba Ndama, Bongo forever"], ''Jeune Afrique'', 14 May 2012 {{in lang|fr}}.</ref> he began teaching philosophy in September 1975,<ref name=Guerre/> and he was appointed as Director of Orientation at the Directorate-General of Scholarships and Internships<ref name=Guerre/><ref name=APF>[http://apf.francophonie.org/IMG/pdf/CVNZOUBA-NDAMA.pdf CV at APF website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716074800/http://apf.francophonie.org/IMG/pdf/CVNZOUBA-NDAMA.pdf |date=2011-07-16 }} {{in lang|fr}}.</ref> in November 1975,<ref name=APF/> while continuing to teach. In 1980, he became Director-General of Scholarships and Internships,<ref name=Guerre/><ref name=APF/> remaining in that post until 1983.<ref name=Who>"Nzouba Ndama Guy", ''Gabon: Les Hommes de Pouvoir'', number 4, [http://www.africaintelligence.fr Africa Intelligence], 5 March 2002 {{in lang|fr}}.</ref>
==Political career==
Nzouba-Ndama was first appointed to the government as Minister-Delegate under the Minister of State for Trade and Industry in March 1983. He was then appointed as Minister-Delegate under the Fourth Deputy Prime Minister for the Land-Survey Register, Housing and Lodgings in January 1986<ref name=Os>[http://osmosegabon.ifrance.com/index_fichiers/guy_nzouba_ndama.htm CV at osmosegabon.ifrance.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20070615013136/http://osmosegabon.ifrance.com/index_fichiers/guy_nzouba_ndama.htm |date=2007-06-15 }} {{in lang|fr}}.</ref> before being promoted to the position of Minister of National Education on 18 November 1987.<ref>[http://www.keesings.com/search?kssp_selected_tab=article&kssp_a_id=36201n01gab "Oct 1988 – Cabinet changes-1988 budget-External debt arrangements"], ''Keesing's Record of World Events'', volume 34, October 1988, Gabon, page 36,201.</ref> In the midst of a strike involving teachers, President [[Omar Bongo]] dismissed him from his post as Minister of National Education on 26 February 1990;<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=CysEAQAAIAAJ&q=Ndama ''Africa Contemporary Record''] (1995), volume 22, page 206.</ref> subsequently he was Political Adviser to President Bongo from February to November 1990.<ref name=Who/> In the [[1990 Gabonese legislative election|1990 parliamentary election]], he was elected to the National Assembly as a candidate in Koulamoutou,<ref name=APF/> and he was the President of the PDG Parliamentary Group from 1990 to 1996.<ref name=Who/> He was re-elected to the National Assembly in the [[1996 Gabonese legislative election|December 1996 parliamentary election]]. Following the latter election, Nzouba-Ndama was elected as President of the National Assembly on 27 January 1997.<ref name=Os/>
Nzouba-Ndama retained his parliamentary seat in the [[2001 Gabonese legislative election|December 2001 parliamentary election]] and was re-elected as President of the National Assembly on 25 January 2002;<ref name=Os/> he received 111 votes, with one deputy voting against him and seven abstaining.<ref>[http://www.afrique-express.com/archive/CENTRALE/gabon/gabonpol/244premierministre.htm "Dans la foulée des législatives; Le Premier ministre, reconduit, fait entrer des opposants au gouvernement"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081225091246/http://www.afrique-express.com/archive/CENTRALE/gabon/gabonpol/244premierministre.htm |date=2008-12-25 }}, ''Afrique Express'', number 244, 6 February 2002 {{in lang|fr}}.</ref> As President of the National Assembly, he visited [[Cameroon]] in February 2006.<ref>[http://www.panapress.com/Gabon-assembly-Speaker-visits-Cameroon--13-579108-17-lang2-index.html "Gabon assembly Speaker visits Cameroon"], Panapress, 15 February 2006.</ref>
He was again re-elected as a Deputy in the [[2006 Gabonese legislative election|December 2006 parliamentary election]],<ref name=Os/> and he was re-elected for a third term as President of the National Assembly on 24 January 2007, receiving 111 votes from the 120 deputies.<ref>[http://www.infosplusgabon.com/article.php3?id_article=981 "Gabon : Guy Nzouba-Ndama réélu Président de l’Assemblée nationale"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100105045516/http://infosplusgabon.com/article.php3?id_article=981 |date=2010-01-05 }}, Infosplusgabon, 24 January 2007 {{in lang|fr}}.</ref> Speaking on the occasion, Nzouba-Ndama praised the deputies of the preceding legislature for producing legislation that he said benefited the people, and he thanked President Bongo for retaining confidence in his leadership of the National Assembly. He also discussed his hope that roads across the country would be paved, saying that the National Assembly could use its legislative power to direct the government towards that goal.<ref>[http://www.internetgabon.com/actualites/actus-Janvier2007/m-actu-25012007a.htm "Guy Nzouba Ndama réélu"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304025800/http://www.internetgabon.com/actualites/actus-Janvier2007/m-actu-25012007a.htm |date=2016-03-04 }}, ''L'Union'', 25 January 2007 {{in lang|fr}}.</ref>
Nzouba-Ndama was a member of the Executive Committee of the [[Inter-Parliamentary Union]] from 1999 to 2003. Subsequently, he was President of the [[Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie]].<ref name=APF/>
===Events since 2007===
22-9-22 arrested with 1.9 million euro's in local currency.. tried to get it into his country. As of the 2000s, Nzouba-Ndama was a Vice-President of the PDG. He was President of the Preparatory Committee for the PDG's Ninth Congress, which was held on 19–21 September 2007; he was also chosen by President Bongo to lead the work of the congress.<ref>[http://www.bdpgabon.org/articles/2008/09/19/gabon-9eme-congres-du-pdg-guy-nzouba-ndama-designe-a-la-presidence-du-bureau/ "Gabon: 9ème Congrès du PDG / Guy Nzouba Ndama désigné à la présidence du bureau"], Gabonews, 19 September 2008 {{in lang|fr}}.</ref> Nzouba-Ndama met with [[Wu Bangguo]], the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the [[National People's Congress]] of the People's Republic of China, on 7 November 2008 to discuss cooperation.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121023124519/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-11/08/content_10324752.htm "Wu Bangguo wishes further parliamentary co-op between Gabon, China"], Xinhua, 7 November 2008.</ref>
Following Omar Bongo's death in June 2009, Nzouba-Ndama was considered a supporter of Bongo's son [[Ali Bongo Ondimba|Ali]] in the latter's efforts to obtain the PDG nomination for the [[2009 Gabonese presidential election|August 2009 presidential election]].<ref>Georges Dougueli and Christophe Boisbouvier, [http://www.jeuneafrique.com/Article/ARTJAJA2528p042.xml2/ali-ben-bongo-election-presidentielle-pascaline-bongo-faustin-boukoubiparti-presidentiel-cherche-candidat.html "Parti présidentiel cherche candidat"], ''Jeune Afrique'', 23 June 2009 {{in lang|fr}}.</ref> Ali Bongo won the nomination and then prevailed in the presidential election, according to official results. When Bongo was sworn in as President on 16 October 2009, Nzouba-Ndama said that he faced a "Herculean" task: he would face pressure to carry out reforms, but would also be expected to do so in a moderate fashion while preserving the political balance crafted by his father.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120912153756/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gHh54grvSE_TmRIdWUadsF1Mhyag "Bongo sworn in as Gabon president"], Agence France-Presse, 16 October 2009.</ref>
Nzouba-Ndama represented Gabon at the fourth ministerial meeting of the [[Forum on China–Africa Cooperation]], which opened on 8 November 2009, and on that occasion he met with [[Wen Jiabao]], the Premier of the [[People's Republic of China]], to discuss the continuation of the friendly and cooperative relationship between the two countries.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121104131901/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-11/09/content_12419237.htm "Chinese premier meets African leaders on ties, cooperation"], Xinhua, 9 November 2009.</ref>
In the [[2011 Gabonese legislative election|December 2011 parliamentary election]], Nzouba-Ndama easily won re-election to the National Assembly; he won the first seat for Lolo-Wagna, located in [[Lolo Bouenguidi Department]], receiving 98.08% of the vote according to preliminary results.<ref>[http://infosgabon.com/?p=14502 "Législatives 2011 au Gabon : Le PDG triomphe en Ogooué-Lolo"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120527033649/http://infosgabon.com/?p=14502 |date=2012-05-27 }}, Infos Gabon, 20 December 2011 {{in lang|fr}}.</ref> Amidst an opposition boycott, the PDG won an overwhelming majority of seats in the election.<ref name=Forever/> Nzouba-Ndama represented Gabon at the 15th summit of the [[Economic Community of Central African States]], which opened on 15 January 2012 at [[N'Djamena]] in [[Chad]]. He was the only national representative present at the summit who was not a president, vice-president, or government minister.<ref>[http://www.afriquinfos.com/articles/2012/1/16/afrique-centrale-194716.asp "CEEAC: le président Déby Itno prône une politique volontariste d'intégration"], Xinhua, 16 January 2012 {{in lang|fr}}.</ref>
Nzouba-Ndama was re-elected as President of the National Assembly on 27 February 2012.<ref>[http://gaboneco.com/show_article.php?IDActu=24762 "Guy Nzouba reste au perchoir"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120527064125/http://gaboneco.com/show_article.php?IDActu=24762 |date=2012-05-27 }}, Gaboneco, 28 February 2012 {{in lang|fr}}.</ref> While most of the top officials who served under Omar Bongo lost their posts in the period that followed his death, Nzouba-Ndama was noted for his political survival, which was attributed to his loyalty to Ali Bongo.<ref name=Forever/> He was present for the inauguration of Senegalese President [[Macky Sall]] on 2 April 2012.<ref name=Forever/><ref>[http://fr.allafrica.com/stories/201204021325.html "Macky Sall a prêté serment en tant que 4ème président"], Gabonews, 2 April 2012 {{in lang|fr}}.</ref>
Despite his earlier loyalty to Ali Bongo, by 2015 tensions seemed to have developed between them, and Nzouba-Ndama was seen as being close to a dissenting faction within the PDG, known as "Heritage and Modernity". On 31 March 2016, Nzouba-Ndama resigned as President of the National Assembly.<ref name=Candidate>[http://www.jeuneafrique.com/315792/politique/gabon-guy-nzouba-ndama-annonce-sa-candidature-a-la-presidentielle/ "Gabon : Guy Nzouba-Ndama annonce sa candidature à la présidentielle"], ''Jeune Afrique'', 5 April 2016 {{in lang|fr}}.</ref> He said that he chose to resign because of the government's hostility towards him.<ref name=Former>[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-gabon-politics-idUSKCN0X22AX "Gabon former parliament speaker to challenge Bongo in polls"], Reuters, 5 April 2016.</ref> Shortly thereafter, on 5 April 2016, he announced that he would stand as an independent candidate in the [[2016 Gabonese presidential election|August 2016 presidential election]].<ref name=Candidate/><ref name=Former/>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nzouba, Guy}}
[[Category:Presidents of the National Assembly of Gabon]]
[[Category:Members of the National Assembly of Gabon]]
[[Category:Gabonese Democratic Party politicians]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1946 births]]
[[Category:Government ministers of Gabon]]
[[Category:People from Ogooué-Lolo Province]]
[[Category:21st-century Gabonese politicians]]