Nicolas Tiangaye facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nicolas Tiangaye
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| Prime Minister of the Central African Republic | |
| In office 17 January 2013 – 10 January 2014 |
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| President | François Bozizé Michel Djotodia (Transitional from 18 August 2013) |
| Preceded by | Faustin-Archange Touadéra |
| Succeeded by | André Nzapayeké |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 September 1956 Bocaranga, Ubangi-Shari (now Central African Republic) |
| Political party | Independent |
Nicolas Tiangaye (born 13 September 1956) is a Central African politician and lawyer. He served as the Prime Minister of the Central African Republic from January 2013 to January 2014. Before that, he was the President of the National Transitional Council from 2003 to 2005.
Tiangaye became Prime Minister after a peace agreement was signed between the government and rebel groups in January 2013. He stepped down from his role in January 2014.
Early Life and Work
Nicolas Tiangaye was born in Bocaranga in 1956. He studied to become a lawyer. In 1986, he was one of the lawyers who defended the former emperor Jean-Bedél Bokassa during his trial. He also defended François Bozizé in 1989, when Bozizé was accused of planning against the government. Bozizé was found not guilty. Tiangaye later said he was simply doing his job as a lawyer.
Tiangaye led the Central African Human Rights League (LCDH) from its start in 1991 until 2004. This group worked to protect human rights in the country. He also defended other important people in trials, like Jean-Paul Akayesu from Rwanda and Jean-Jacques Demafouth, a former defense minister. Demafouth was found not guilty in 2002. At one point, Tiangaye was offered the job of Prime Minister, but he chose not to take it.
After François Bozizé took power in March 2003, Tiangaye was chosen to be one of the 98 members of the National Transitional Council (CNT). This council acted as a temporary law-making group. He was chosen because of his work with human rights. On 14 June 2003, he was elected as the President of the CNT. In this role, he helped write the country's 2004 constitution. This constitution set a limit of two terms for presidents.
Political Journey
The National Transitional Council (CNT) worked for two years. This period led up to the presidential and parliamentary elections in 2005. Tiangaye ran to become a member of parliament. However, he was announced as losing the election in his area by a small number of votes. This led to protests among his supporters. Tiangaye asked everyone to stay calm to avoid more trouble. He later said that the election in his area was unfair.
In 2010, Tiangaye became a spokesperson for a group called the Forces of Change Collective. This group included different political parties and former rebel groups. They wanted the presidential and parliamentary elections to be delayed. President Bozizé had set a date for the elections, but Tiangaye said the opposition would not take part if the elections happened too soon. He felt the conditions were not right for a fair vote. Later, President Bozizé agreed to delay the elections.
Becoming Prime Minister
In December 2012, a group of rebels called Séléka started fighting against the army. They quickly took control of a large part of the Central African Republic. The capital city, Bangui, was in danger. Peace talks were held in January 2013. Tiangaye led the group representing the political opposition. An agreement was reached on 11 January 2013. This agreement allowed President Bozizé to stay in office for his term. But he had to accept a prime minister chosen by his opponents. The new government would also include members from the opposition and the rebels.
On 13 January 2013, Tiangaye announced that the opposition leaders had all chosen him to be the new Prime Minister. President Bozizé waited a short time to get approval from the Séléka rebels. On 15 January 2013, the Séléka rebels agreed to the choice.
President Bozizé officially appointed Tiangaye as Prime Minister on 17 January 2013. Tiangaye said there was "hard work" ahead but also "peace on the horizon." He explained that the government needed to focus on making the country peaceful and fixing the army. He also said that he had no personal problems with the president.
The peace agreement said that new parliamentary elections would happen after one year. The next presidential election would be in 2016. Both Bozizé and Tiangaye would not be allowed to run for president at that time.
After Tiangaye became Prime Minister, talks began to form the new government. The government was announced on 3 February 2013. Important jobs were given to supporters of Bozizé, rebels, and the political opposition. The rebel leader Michel Djotodia became the First Deputy Prime Minister for National Defense. Tiangaye himself was also given the job of finance minister.
The peace agreement broke down in March 2013. The Séléka rebels started taking towns again. They said Bozizé had not kept his promises. After several days of fighting, the rebels captured Bangui on 24 March 2013. President Bozizé had to leave the country. Djotodia was then declared President. Djotodia said there would be a three-year period of transition. He also said that Tiangaye would continue to be Prime Minister.
Djotodia quickly stopped the constitution and closed down the government and the National Assembly. He then reappointed Tiangaye as Prime Minister on 27 March 2013. Many people who were against Bozizé, including political parties and rebels, respected Tiangaye. International observers also respected him.
A new government with 34 members was appointed on 31 March 2013. Djotodia kept the defense job for himself. There were nine members from Séléka in the government. Eight members were from the parties that had been against Bozizé. Only one member of the government was linked to Bozizé. Sixteen positions were given to people from civil society groups. However, the former opposition parties were not happy with this. They said that the 16 civil society positions were actually given to Séléka supporters who pretended to be civil society activists.
Fighting between different groups increased after Séléka took power. By late 2013, Djotodia was under a lot of pressure from leaders in the region and from other countries. They felt he could not control the situation. At this point, the relationship between Tiangaye and Djotodia was very difficult. Due to pressure from regional leaders, both Tiangaye and Djotodia resigned at a meeting on 10 January 2014.
See also
In Spanish: Nicolas Tiangaye para niños
