Aboubacar Somparé
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El Hajj Aboubacar Somparé ( nqo, ߊߓߎߓߊߞߊߙ ߛߐ߲߬ߔߊ߬ߙߋ߫; 31 August 1944 – 2 November 2017)Urgent/ Aboubacar Somparé, l’ex-président de l’Assemblée Nationale est mort
was a
Guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...
n politician who was President of the
National Assembly of Guinea The unicameral ''Assemblée nationale'' or National Assembly is Guinea's legislative body. Since the country's birth in 1958, it has experienced political turmoil, and elections have been called at irregular intervals, and only since 1995 have the ...
from 2002 to 2008. He was previously Guinea's Ambassador to
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
from 1978 to 1984 and was Secretary-General of the
Unity and Progress Party The Unity and Progress Party (french: Parti de l'Unité et du Progrès, PUP) is a political party in Guinea. It was the ruling party during the long rule of President Lansana Conté. In terms of ideology, the PUP advocates the unity of Guineans an ...
(PUP) from 1995 to 2002.


Political career until 2002

Somparé was born in Dakonta, located in
Boké Prefecture Boké is a prefecture located in the Boké Region of Guinea. The capital is Boké Boké is the capital city of Boké Prefecture within the Boké Region of Lower Guinea near the border with Guinea-Bissau. It is also a sub-prefecture of Gui ...
. He was the Regional Director of Education in
Labé Labé ( Pular 𞤆𞤵𞤤𞤢𞤪:𞤂𞤢𞤦𞤫) is the main city and administrative capital of the Fouta Djallon region of Guinea. It has a population of about 200,000. It is the second largest city in the country after the capital Conakry ...
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
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 ...
as Guinea's Ambassador to France 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 Palace of Nations (french: Palais des Nations, ) is the home of the United Nations Office at Geneva, located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was built between 1929 and 1938 to serve as the headquarters of the League of Nations. It has served ...
(the presidential palace) in
Conakry Conakry (; ; sus, Kɔnakiri; N’ko: ߞߐߣߊߞߙߌ߫, Fula: ''Konaakiri'' 𞤑𞤮𞤲𞤢𞥄𞤳𞤭𞤪𞤭) is the capital and largest city of Guinea. A port city, it serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea. Its p ...
from July 1986 to May 1987 and Rector of the
University of Conakry Gamal Abdel Nasser University of Conakry (in French ''L'Université Gamal Abdel Nasser de Conakry'', UGANC), is the largest university in Guinea and located in Dixinn Commune, Conakry, Guinea. The name is generally shortened to the University o ...
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.


President of the National Assembly

After Somparé was re-elected to the National Assembly in the June 2002 parliamentary election,"Aboubacar Somparé élu président de l’Assemblée lors d’une séance boycottée par les ambassadeurs du G7"
, ''Afrique Express'', number 256, 2 October 2002 .
he was chosen by President
Lansana Conté Lansana Conté (30 November 1934 – 22 December 2008
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"Aboubacar Somparé élu président de l'Assemblée guinéenne", Panapress, 24 September 2002 . on 23 September 2002, receiving the support of 87 of the 106 deputies who voted. Although Somparé held a key post as President of the National Assembly, it was believed that the ailing President Conté disliked him;Paul Melly
"Guinea: Early Warning Analysis"
Writenet, August 2003, page 3.
he was also reportedly unpopular with the army and much of the PUP leadership."Guinea in Transition"
Crisis Group Africa Briefing, number 37, 11 April 2006, page 5.
During that time, Somparé was apparently engaged in a rivalry with PUP Secretary-General Sékou Konaté. Somparé's position as Conté's constitutional successor concerned some, who believed he would be unwilling to surrender power if he ever obtained it. On the other hand, it was noted that Somparé enjoyed little popularity with any group and therefore might lack the political base to perpetuate himself in power. In early 2006, when Conté left Guinea to receive medical treatment in
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, Somparé reportedly met with military officers to discuss the presidential succession; Conté was said to be infuriated by that move. Speaking to ''
Jeune Afrique ''Jeune Afrique'' (English: ''Young Africa'') is a French-language pan-African weekly news magazine, founded in 1960 in Tunis and subsequently published in Paris. It is the most widely read pan-African magazine. It is also a book publisher, unde ...
'' in 2008, Somparé said that he thought Conté, who was known to be in extremely poor health, would not be a candidate for re-election in the planned 2010 presidential election. He also addressed the failure to hold a parliamentary election on schedule (as the parliamentary term began in 2002, it would normally have expired in 2007), saying that an election should only be held if it would "contribute to strengthen the social fabric and democracy" and not if it would "contribute to disorder".


Events of December 2008

In the early hours of 23 December 2008, Somparé announced on television that President Conté 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."Guinea's long-time military leader Conte dies"
AFP, 23 December 2008.
Somparé requested that the President of the Supreme Court,
Lamine Sidimé Lamine Sidimé (born 1944) is a Guinean political figure who was Prime Minister of Guinea from 1999 to 2004. Early life Born at Mamou in 1944, Sidimé served as President of the Supreme Court from 1992, and he was appointed as Prime Minister b ...
, declare a vacancy in the Presidency and apply the constitution. Prime Minister
Ahmed Tidiane Souaré Ahmed Tidiane Souaré (born 1951
and
Diarra Camara Diarra is a French translation of the clan name Jara used in West Africa, as a hangover from the French colonial empire in that region. It originates from the Bambara language word ''jara'', meaning lion, synonymous with waraba. The Kingdom of ...
, the head of the army, stood alongside Somparé during his announcement. Somparé later said in an interview that Sidimé initially could not be reached after Conté's death, and that when Sidimé subsequently arrived at the People's Palace to discuss the situation, he delayed taking the necessary legal steps on the "pretext" that he could not arrange a ceremony until the next day.Cécile Sow
"Aboubacar Somparé"
''Jeune Afrique'', 22 March 2010 .
Six hours after Somparé announced Conté's death, a statement was read on television announcing a military ''coup d'état''. This statement, read on behalf of a junta called the
National Council for Democracy and Development The National Council for Democracy and Development (french: Conseil national pour la démocratie et le développement, CNDD) was the ruling junta of Guinea from 2008 to 2010. Historical background The CNDD seized power in the 2008 Guinean coup ...
(CNDD), said that "the government and the institutions of the republic have been dissolved"; it also announced that the constitution was suspended."Military seizes power in Guinea"
BBC News, 23 December 2008.
Somparé went into hiding and told the press that the newly established junta was trying to find him; he also urged the international community to "mobilise to prevent the military from interrupting the democratic process". After a few days in hiding, he emerged 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.


Political career (2009–2017)

With the PUP out of power for the first time in its history, in late January 2009 a "refoundation" movement was reportedly established within the PUP that intended to remove supporters of Somparé and his old rival, Sékou Konaté, from the party leadership. Amidst speculation that the future of the party was in doubt, Somparé and Konaté reconciled in March 2009. Somparé was largely silent in public in the year that followed the coup. Unlike many other Conté officials, he was left alone by the CNDD junta. At a PUP meeting on 6 March 2010, Somparé criticized the opposition parties that chose to embrace the coup; he argued that their initial acceptance of the coup demonstrated that they were "not sincere" in their claimed commitment to democracy and constitutional governance. Somparé was then chosen as the PUP's candidate for the June 2010 presidential election at a party congress on 27–28 March 2010.Ismaël Kabiné Camara
"Aboubacar Somparé, candidat à la présidentielle en Guinée"
Afrik.com, 29 March 2010 .


Death

Somparé died on 2 November 2017.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sompare, Aboubacar 1944 births 2017 deaths Presidents of the National Assembly (Guinea) Members of the National Assembly (Guinea) Presidents of Guinea Guinean Muslims Unity and Progress Party politicians Ambassadors of Guinea to France Academic staff of Gamal Abdel Nasser University of Conakry People from Boké Region