Jean-Pierre Thystère Tchicaya

Jean-Pierre Thystère Tchicaya (January 7 1936 [http://www.brazzaville-adiac.com/index.php?action=depeche&dep_id=1403&oldaction=liste&regpay_id=0&them_id=0&cat_id=1&ss_cat_id=0&LISTE_FROM=40&select_month=08&select_year=2002 "Biographie de Jean-Pierre Thystère Tchicaya, président de l’Assemblée nationale du Congo"] , "Les Dépêches de Brazzaville", August 13, 2002 fr icon.] Rémy Bazenguissa-Ganga, "Les voies du politique au Congo: essai de sociologie historique" (1997), Karthala Editions, page 446.] – June 20 2008 [http://www.brazzaville-adiac.com/index.php?action=depeche&dep_id=22730&oldaction=liste&regpay_id=0&them_id=0&cat_id=1&ss_cat_id=0&LISTE_FROM=20&select_month=06&select_year=2008 "Décès à Paris de l'ancien président de l'assemblée nationale, Jean Pierre Thystère Tchicaya"] , "Les Dépêches de Brazzaville", June 21, 2008 fr icon.] ) was a Congolese politician. He was briefly Acting Head of State of the Republic of the Congo in February 1979 and was President of the National Assembly of the Republic of the Congo from 2002 to 2007. He also led a political party, the Rally for Democracy and Social Progress (RDPS), from 1990 to 2008.

Tchicaya, a founding member of the Congolese Labour Party (PCT), [http://www.brazzaville-adiac.com/index.php?action=depeche&dep_id=19023&oldaction=liste&regpay_id=0&them_id=0&cat_id=1&ss_cat_id=0&LISTE_FROM=0&select_month=10&select_year=2007 "La rumeur du décès de Jean Pierre Thistère Tchicaya est infondée"] , "Les Dépêches de Brazzaville", October 30, 2007 fr icon.] was Minister of Higher, Technical and Vocational Education from December 1971 to December 1974; he additionally acquired the portfolio of Scientific Research in August 1973. [http://www.brazzaville-adiac.com/index.php?action=depeche&dep_id=19023&oldaction=liste&regpay_id=0&them_id=0&cat_id=1&ss_cat_id=0&LISTE_FROM=0&select_month=10&select_year=2007 "La rumeur du décès de Jean Pierre Thistère Tchicaya est infondée"] , "Les Dépêches de Brazzaville", October 30, 2007 fr icon.] Joining the Central Committee of the PCT in December 1972, he held leading posts in the PCT during the 1970s. From December 1974 to December 1975, he was President of the PCT Central Commission of Control and Verification. He was included on the Council of State announced on January 8 1976 ["Sep 1976 - New Council of State and Special Revolutionary General Staff - Other Internal Developments", Keesing's Record of World Events, Volume 22, September, 1976 Congo, Page 27940.] and was the second ranking leader in the PCT until Marien Ngouabi was assassinated in March 1977.

Shortly after Denis Sassou-Nguesso became President in early 1979, Tchicaya was elected as Vice-President by a PCT party congress on March 31 1979. ["Jan 1980 - General Elections and Referendum on New Constitution - Earlier Appointment of New Council of Ministers - Other Developments", Keesing's Record of World Events, Volume 26, January, 1980 Congo, Page 30059.] From March 1979 to July 1984, he was a member of the PCT Political Bureau in charge of ideology and education and was the second ranking leader of the PCT. He was removed from the Central Committee in 1984 on the grounds that he was too left-wing."Political Parties of the World" (6th edition, 2005), ed. Bogdan Szajkowski, page 141.]

After splitting from the PCT,John F. Clark, "Congo: Transition and the Struggle to Consolidate", in "Political Reform in Francophone Africa" (1997), ed. John F. Clark and David E. Gardinier, pages 71–75.] at the beginning of the transition to multiparty democracy Tchicaya was part of the opposition National Union for Democracy and Progress (UNDP), but he left the UNDP to found another opposition party, the RDPS, on October 29 1990. [Patrice Yengo, "La guerre civile du Congo-Brazzaville, 1993-2002: "chacun aura sa part" (2006), KARTHALA Editions, page 62 fr icon.] He was a participant in the 1991 Sovereign National Conference, and at the Conference he famously declared "never again!" ("plus jamais ça!"). [ [http://www.brazzaville-adiac.com/index.php?action=depeche&dep_id=22788&oldaction=liste&regpay_id=0&them_id=0&cat_id=0&ss_cat_id=0&LISTE_FROM=0&select_month=0&select_year=0 "Le fait du jour - Isidore Mvouba, pathétique !"] , "Les Dépêches de Brazzaville", June 25, 2008 fr icon.]

Standing as the RDPS candidate in the August 1992 presidential election, he placed fifth with 5.78% of the vote. [Xavier Bienvenu Kitsimbou, [http://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/docs/00/16/84/67/PDF/THESE.pdf "LA DEMOCRATIE ET LES REALITES ETHNIQUES AU CONGO"] , University of Nancy II, October 26, 2001, page 104 fr icon.] His best showing was in Kouilou Region (which includes Pointe-Noire, the country's second-largest city and economic capital), where he obtained 28% of the vote and placed second behind Pascal Lissouba, who won the election.

In the "60/40" government of Prime Minister Claude Antoine Dacosta, he was Minister of Mines, Energy and Hydrocarbons from January 1993 to June 1993, prior to the June 1993 parliamentary election. In that election, he was elected as a deputy in the National Assembly, and from 1993 to 1997 he was President of the Parliamentary Group of the Union for Democratic Renewal opposition coalition. He was elected as Mayor of Pointe-Noire in July 1994, serving as Mayor from August 1994 to October 1997.

During the 1997 civil war, Tchicaya was a member of the National Mediation Committee, which was chaired by URD leader Bernard Kolélas. [ [http://www.humanite.fr/1997-09-05_Articles_-Informations "Informations; Congo : vers un « accord de paix » ?"] , "L'Humanité", September 5, 1997 fr icon.] After Kolélas was appointed Prime Minister, he formed a government on September 14 1997 ["Congo: Sassou-Nguesso group rejects offer of ministerial posts", Radio France Internationale (nl.newsbank.com), September 14, 1997.] that included Tchicaya as Minister of Hydrocarbons; this government fell one month later, on October 14 1997, when rebel forces loyal to former President and PCT leader Denis Sassou-Nguesso captured Brazzaville. [Howard W. French, [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E05E2DA153FF935A25753C1A961958260 "Rebels, Backed by Angola, Take Brazzaville and Oil Port"] , "The New York Times", October 16, 1997.] A few days later, Tchicaya announced the support of the RDPS for Sassou-Nguesso. ["Congo: Pointe-Noire mayor declares his party's support for Sassou-Nguesso", Radio France Internationale (nl.newsbank.com), October 20, 1997.] He then became a member of the National Council of Transition, and at the end of the transitional period he was elected to the National Assembly in the 2002 parliamentary election; following this election, he was elected as President of the National Assembly on August 10 2002. [ [http://www.brazzaville-adiac.com/index.php?action=depeche&dep_id=1402&oldaction=liste&regpay_id=0&them_id=0&cat_id=0&ss_cat_id=0&LISTE_FROM=0&select_month=0&select_year=2002 "Survol historique des 45 années de vie parlementaire au Congo"] , "Les Dépêches de Brazzaville", August 13, 2002 fr icon.] Additionally, when the Pan-African Parliament began meeting in March 2004, Tchicaya became one of Congo's five members. [ [http://www.africa-union.org/organs/pan%20african%20parliament/List%20of%20Members%20pap.pdf List of members of the Pan-African Parliament] (as of March 15, 2004), African Union website.]

In the 2007 parliamentary election, Tchicaya was re-elected as an RDPS candidate from Mvou Mvou 1 constituency in Pointe-Noire, receiving 55.20% of the vote. [ [http://www.brazzaville-adiac.com/index.php?action=depeche&dep_id=17753&oldaction=textes&regpay_id=0&cat_id=&ss_cat_id=&LISTE_FROM=0&select_month=08&select_year=2007 "La liste complète des députés"] , "Les Dépêches de Brazzaville", August 11, 2007 fr icon.] Justin Koumba of the PCT was elected to succeed Tchicaya as President of the National Assembly on September 4 2007. [ [http://www.jeuneafrique.com/pays/congo_brazza/article_depeche.asp?art_cle=XIN70027lanounoitcn0 "La nouvelle Assemblée nationale entre en fonction"] , Xinhua (Jeuneafrique.com), September 5, 2007 fr icon.]

Tchicaya was falsely reported to have died in Paris in October 2007. He subsequently died at the Georges Pompidou European Hospital in Paris on June 20 2008. Prime Minister Isidore Mvouba described Tchicaya as a "great statesman" and a "worthy son of our country", and he said that Tchicaya had "always shown great consistency in his commitment to the values of the Republic and democracy" as a deputy in the National Assembly. [Thierry Noungou, [http://www.brazzaville-adiac.com/index.php?action=depeche&dep_id=22731&oldaction=liste&regpay_id=0&them_id=0&cat_id=0&ss_cat_id=0&LISTE_FROM=0&select_month=0&select_year=0 "Isidore Mvouba salue la mémoire « d'un grand homme d'État, digne fils du Congo »"] , "Les Dépêches de Brazzaville", June 21, 2008 fr icon.] Tchicaya's body was returned to Brazzaville from Paris on July 4, and he was the subject of an official tribute in the Palace of the Parliament on July 5. [ [http://www.brazzaville-adiac.com/index.php?action=depeche&dep_id=22953&oldaction=liste&regpay_id=0&them_id=0&cat_id=&ss_cat_id=0&LISTE_FROM=0&select_month=0&select_year=0 "La République rend un dernier hommage à Jean Pierre Thistère Tchicaya"] , "Les Dépêches de Brazzaville", July 5, 2008 fr icon.] His body was then taken to Pointe-Noire on July 5 for his funeral and burial. This was marked by some disorder. Youths in the second "arrondissement" of Pointe-Noire initially refused to allow his coffin to be transferred from the Kokolo Copa Stadium to the Franco Anselmi Stadium, which was the site of the funeral, although they surrendered it after negotiations. Some looting and arrests occurred. After the funeral on July 7, he was buried at his family cemetery of Mboukou, located in the city's third "arrondissement", Tié-Tié. [Frenette Antsoua Loembet, [http://www.brazzaville-adiac.com/index.php?action=depeche&dep_id=23052&oldaction=liste&regpay_id=0&them_id=0&cat_id=&ss_cat_id=0&LISTE_FROM=0&select_month=0&select_year=0 "Les Ponténégrins ont rendu un hommage mérité à Jean-Pierre Thystere Tchicaya"] , "Les Dépêches de Brazzaville", July 11, 2008 fr icon.]

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