Gérard Bitsindou (15 November 1941 – 26 August 2012Parfait Wilfried Douniama, "Disparition : dernier hommage de la République à Gérard Bitsindou", ''Les Dépêches de Brazzaville'', 6 September 2012 .) was a Congolese political figure who was President of the Constitutional Court of Congo-Brazzaville from 2003 to 2012. He previously served as Secretary-General of the Presidency from 1980 to 1991 and as Minister for the ''Contrôle d'Etat'' from 1997 to 2002.

Life and career

A member of the Lari ethnic group, Bitsindou was born in Mbandza-Ndounga, located in the

Pool Region Pool ( kg, Mpumbu, Nsundi, Mbula Ntangu) 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. Internationally, it borders the Democratic Republic ...

."Bitsindou Gérard", ''Congo Brazzaville: Les Hommes de Pouvoir'', number 1, Africa Intelligence, 29 October 2002 . He was Director of LabourRémy Bazenguissa-Ganga, ''Les voies du politique au Congo: essai de sociologie historique'' (1997), Karthala Editions, page 427 . at the Ministry of Labour and the Civil Service before becoming Secretary-General of the Presidency under President

Denis Sassou Nguesso Denis Sassou Nguesso (born 23 November 1943) is a Congolese politician and former military officer. He became president of the Republic of the Congo in 1997. He served a previous term as president from 1979 to 1992. During his first period as ...

; he held the latter post from 1980 to 1991. After Sassou Nguesso returned to power in the 1997 civil war, he appointed Bitsindou as Minister for the ''Contrôle d'Etat'' on 2 November 1997. He was subsequently moved to the post of Minister at the Presidency for the Cabinet of the Head of State and the ''Contrôle d'Etat'' on 12 January 1999. In the May–June 2002 parliamentary election, Bitsindou was elected to the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...

as an independent candidate from Mbandza-Ndounga constituency;"Elections législatives : les 51 élus du premier tour"
''Les Dépêches de Brazzaville'', 5 June 2002 . he won the seat in the first round with 54.86% of the vote. He was not included in the government named on 18 August 2002; his ministerial duties were split between two successors, and he handed over control of his ministry on 22 August 2002. A few months later, he was appointed as President of the Constitutional Court by President Sassou Nguesso on 29 January 2003. Bitsindou was sworn in for another term as President of the Constitutional Council on 15 June 2012, but he died in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

two months later, on 26 August 2012. His death came at a time when the Constitutional Court was responsible for reviewing legal complaints regarding the July–August 2012 parliamentary election.Parfait-Wilfried Douniama, "Disparition : Gérard Bitsindou n'est plus", ''Les Dépêches de Brazzaville'', 27 August 2012 . He was buried at Madibou in Brazzaville on 6 September 2012.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bitsindou, Gerard 2012 deaths Members of the National Assembly (Republic of the Congo) Republic of the Congo judges 1941 births Chief justices