Jean-Paul Ngoupandé facts for kids

Jean-Paul Ngoupandé (born 6 December 1948 – died 4 May 2014) was an important politician from the Central African Republic. He served as the Prime Minister of the Central African Republic from 1996 to 1997. He also ran for president in 1999 and 2005. Later, he became the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2005 to 2006.

Ngoupandé was the leader of the National Unity Party (PUN), which he started in the mid-1990s. He was known for speaking out against corruption and for supporting fair elections and democratic ways of governing.

About Jean-Paul Ngoupandé

Jean-Paul Ngoupandé was born in Dékoa, a place in the Kemo-Gribingui region. This area is part of what is now the Central African Republic.

In 2006, he had a heart attack and was treated in a hospital in Paris, France. He got better and returned home. Years later, in 2014, he passed away in Paris after a fall at his home.

His Political Journey

Jean-Paul Ngoupandé held several important jobs in his country's government.

Early Roles in Government

From 1985 to 1989, Ngoupandé was the Minister of Education. This means he was in charge of the country's schools and learning programs. He also worked as an Ambassador to Côte d'Ivoire, representing his country there.

Becoming Prime Minister

On 6 June 1996, President Ange-Félix Patassé chose Ngoupandé to be the Prime Minister. This is a very high position, similar to a head of government. At the same time, he was also the Minister of Finance, managing the country's money.

During his time as Prime Minister, he worked on making the country's economy more open. This involved some big changes to how the economy was run. However, he disagreed with President Patassé about how quickly these changes should happen. Because of this disagreement, he resigned on 30 January 1997. Michel Gbezera-Bria took over his role.

Running for President

Ngoupandé ran for president twice.

The 1999 Election

In the presidential election held on 19 September 1999, he was the candidate for his party, the National Unity Party. He came in sixth place, getting about 3.14 percent of the votes. The election was won by the person who was already president, Ange-Félix Patassé.

The 2005 Election

In 2004, his party announced that he would run again in the presidential election on 13 March 2005. This election was very important because it marked a return to democratic rule after a military takeover in 2003.

Ngoupandé had been living in Paris but returned to the capital city, Bangui, in January 2005. His main message during his campaign was about bringing peace and stability to the country. He especially wanted to help areas that had been affected by fighting before the military takeover.

He initially faced a small problem with his application to run, but it was quickly fixed. In the first round of the election, he came in fourth place with 5.08 percent of the votes. He also won a seat in the country's parliament, called the National Assembly, representing his hometown of Dékoa.

After the Election

After the first round, Ngoupandé agreed to support another candidate, François Bozizé, in the second round of the election. After Bozizé won, Ngoupandé was appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs on 19 June 2005. This meant he was in charge of his country's relationships with other countries.

He held this job until September 2, 2006. After that, he became a special advisor to President Bozizé.

Important Ideas from Jean-Paul Ngoupandé

Jean-Paul Ngoupandé often spoke about what he believed was important for his country. Here are some of his thoughts:

• He believed that people in the Central African Republic must learn to live together peacefully. He understood that people might be angry or hurt, but he urged everyone to stop the cycle of violence.
• He also said that to rebuild the country, they needed to talk about the real problems. He mentioned things like insecurity, money problems, and challenges in education.
• He felt that his country was not seen in a good light by other countries. He wanted to change this image.
• He strongly believed that winning an election fairly did not give anyone the right to harm others.