Bonfoh Abbass

Infobox Person
name = Bonfoh Abbass

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image_size = 200px
birth_date = birth date and age|1948|11|23
occupation = President

El-Hadj Bonfoh Abbass (born November 23 1948 [http://www.radiolome.tg/template.php?pg=affichenews&idnews=5862 "EL HADJ ABASS BONFOH REELU PRESIDENT DE L’ASSEMBLEE NATIONALE"] , radiolome.tg fr icon.] ) was the interim President of Togo from February 25, 2005 to May 4, 2005. He has been the President of the National Assembly of Togo since 2005.

Bonfoh was born in Kabou, Bassar Prefecture. [http://www.assemblee-nationale.tg/charpente/deputes/cv-deputes/cv-bonfoh.htm CV] at National Assembly website fr icon.] From 1980 to 1985, he was Regional Director of Educational Planning in Kpalimé, and in August 1986 he became Regional Director of Educational Planning in Kara, serving in the latter post until 1999. He was elected to the National Assembly from Bassar Prefecture in the March 1999 parliamentary election, and he was re-elected from Bassar in the October 2002 parliamentary election. In the National Assembly, he served as First Rapporteur of the Committee on Socio-Cultural Development and was elected First Vice-President of the National Assembly.

He became President of Togo when President Faure Gnassingbé resigned due to pressure from the international community in February 2005. Bonfoh, who was First Vice-President of the National Assembly at the time, was elected President of the National Assembly and thus became acting President of Togo prior to a new presidential election. Bonfoh is a strong supporter of Gnassingbé, and was deemed a "chairwarmer" by some of his opponents because his temporary assumption of the presidency was meant to enable Gnassingbé to eventually become president in a seemingly more legitimate way. On April 23, 2005, Bonfoh dismissed the interior minister for advocating a delay in the election amidst massive street protests.

Gnassingbé officially won the election on April 24 and was sworn in on May 4, replacing Bonfoh.

In the October 2007 parliamentary election, Bonfoh ran for re-election to the National Assembly as the first candidate on the candidate list of the ruling Rally of the Togolese People (RPT) in Bassar, [ [http://www.republicoftogo.com/central.php?o=5&s=1&d=3&i=944 "Les candidats en lice"] , Republicoftogo.com, September 11, 2007 fr icon.] and he was successful in winning a seat. [ [http://www.cenitogo.tg/resultats/Resultats_definitifs_des_elections_legislatives_du_14_octobre_2007_%20proclames_par_la_Cour_Constitutionnelle.do.pdf Text of Constitutional Court decision (final election results)] , October 30, 2007 fr icon.] On November 24 2007 he was re-elected as President of the National Assembly. [ [http://www.republicoftogo.com/central.php?o=1&s=0&d=3&i=1295 "Abbas Bonfoh élu président de l'Assemblée"] , Republicoftogo.com, November 24, 2007.]

Bonfoh is a member of the Political Bureau of the RPT [ [http://www.rpt.tg/Default.aspx?tabid=595 List of members of the RPT Political Bureau] , RPT website fr icon.] and a member of the RPT Central Committee from Bassar Prefecture as of the RPT's Ninth Ordinary Congress in December 2006. [ [http://www.rpt.tg/Default.aspx?tabid=596 List of members of the RPT Central Committee] , RPT website fr icon.]

References