Jean Alingué Bawoyeu

] Alingué, as the highest ranking civilian authority left in N'Djamena, appealed for calm on the national radio and announced that he had assumed the lead of an interim government composed of fellow assemblymen and protected by the French troops stationed in the country. He also added that he had already started negotiations with General Déby and invited the government forces to depose their arms. [Citation| title=Chad President Reportedly Flees and Rebels March In| newspaper=The New York Times|date=2-12-1990| url =http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE2D91039F931A35751C1A966958260] Alingué refused on the occasion to assume the post of Head of State as he was entitled by the constitution in case of vacancy of the presidency, and instead was content to prepare for Déby's arrival. When later in his political career he was accused of having shown weakness and timidity in taking this course, he answered that if he had taken the office he would have plunged the country into a useless bloodbath. [R. Buijtenhuijs, "Transition et élections au Tchad", pp. 202-203]

Talks between Alingué and Déby on the passage of powers began the next day, when Déby's forces rolled into the capital. [Citation| title=Rebels in control of Chad's capital| newspaper=The New York Times|date=3-12-1990| url =http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE7DA1630F930A35751C1A966958260] On December 6, Déby, as new leader of Chad, dissolved the National Assembly and formed a new interim government composed of a 33-member Council of State, which included Alingué among its members. [Citation| title=New Chadian Cabinet| newspaper=The Washington Post| date=6-12-1990]

On March 4, 1991, Déby was proclaimed President of Chad and he proceeded to dissolve the Council of State the day after. In the new government Alingué was given the largely impotent [Citation| author=R. May & S. Massey | title = Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: Chad's Protracted 'Transition to Democracy'| journal = Journal of Contemporary African Studies| volume = 18 (1)| pages = 107-132 | date = January 2000] office of Prime Minister, a post he held until May 20, 1992, when he was replaced by Joseph Yodoyman, like him a Chadian Southerner. [cite web|title =Rulers.org - Countries Ch| url=http://rulers.org/rulc2.html] This dismissal was felt by Alingué as an act of political ingratitude, transforming him through time into a staunch opponent of the president. [cite web|author=Samson, Didier| title =Tchad: Les principaux candidats| publisher = Radio France Internationale| date =2001-05-18| url=http://www.rfi.fr/actufr/articles/017/article_8086.asp] During his period in office, in October 1991, the Council of Ministers adopted recommendations leading to the registration of political parties, thus putting an end to the single-party system. [Citation| title=Where transitional leadership worked| newspaper=Daily News| date=24-9-2001| url=http://www.nationaudio.com/News/DailyNation/24092001/News/News_Spotlight2.html]

Birth of the UDR

While still Prime Minister, he founded one of the first new political parties, the Union for Democracy and Republic (UDR); [cite web| title =Background Notes: Chad| publisher = US Department of State| month =May | year =1992|url=http://dosfan.lib.uic.edu/ERC/bgnotes/af/chad9205.html] , of which he was elected president in March 1992, prior to the party's official recognition. [cite book|author=Day, Alan John|title=Political Parties of the World|publisher=|year=2002|pages=95|id=] the organization was readily considered among Chad's most prominent political parties. [cite book|author=Buijtenhuijs, Robert|title=La Conférence nationale souveraine du Tchad: un essai d'histoire immédiate|publisher=Karthala|year=1993|pages=49|id=ISBN 2865374602] Alingué united his party with a study group created in April 1991 in Moyen-Chari by a number of young local cadres and intellectuals, among whom was Koibla Djimasta, who became Prime Minister in 1995. This alliance made the UDR a conglomerate of political fiefs, uniting Alingué's personal Tandjilé base with his allies following in Moyen-Chari. This alliance began breaking up in 1996 on the issue of the approval or not of the proposed constitution. In the ensuing referendum, Djimasta campaigned actively in his region for the "yes", while Alingué became a leading spokesman for the "no" front. Alingué had previously favored a "yes" vote, but apparently was later forced to side with the "no" vote by his party that put him in minority in March 1996. This defection was later followed by that of another key Moyen-Chari UDR politician, Abdoulaye Djonouma, marking the breakup of the Moyen-Chari-Tandjilé coalition and reducing Alingué's UDR to a mere regional party. [R. Buijtenhuijs, "Transition et élections au Tchad", pp. 66, 317-318]

Before the referendum, Alingué had played a significant role during the convening of the National Sovereign Conference (CNS) in 1993. He acted there as a spokesman for the members representing the political parties, presiding over the conclusive rounds of talks that beginning on March 7 were to define the last issues on the tables. In particular, he played an important role in putting an end to the serious deadlock that emerged regarding the composition and the size of the transitional legislature that was to remain in office until elections were held. After many fruitless votations, Alingué, speaking for the political parties, imposed a compromise proposal, on which no negotiation or debate was accepted. [R. Buijtenhuijs, "La Conférence nationale souveraine du Tchad", p. 170]

Elections

Under the UDR's banner Alingué presented himself on June 2, 1996, as a candidate for the country's first competitive presidential election since independence, coming fourth with 8.31% of the vote. [Citation| title=Tchad: la "logistique" française mise en cause| newspaper=L'Humanité| date=21-7-1996|url=http://www.humanite.fr/popup_print.php3?id_article=754832] Alingué, together with the other 14 opposition candidates, attempted to have the first round of the elections annulled for alleged massive frauds and falsifications favouring President Déby, but their joint petition to the Court of Appeal was rejected on June 19; Alingué then, with other candidates, invited the electors to boycott the second round. [Citation| title = Rapport de la mission d’observation du 2e tour de l’élection présidentielle du 3 juillet 1996| publisher = Espace francophone des Droits de l'Homme, de la Démocratie et de la Paix| year = 1996| url = http://democratie.francophonie.org/IMG/pdf/presidentielle_du_3_juillet_1996.pdf]

His party, the UDR, took part in the 1997 parliamentary election, obtaining four seats. [ [http://africanelections.tripod.com/td.html Elections in Chad] , African Elections Database.] He showed himself, in 1998, to be a staunch advocate for the disengagement of Chadian troops from the Congo War, arguing that, since there was no defensive accord between Chad and Congo-Kinshasa, there was no legal basis for the presence of Chadian troops in Congo. [" [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/212780.stm Chad urged to pull out of Congo] ", BBC News, November 13, 1998.]

He participated in the presidential election held on May 20, 2001, but finished last, receiving only 2.05%, losing 26% in his Tandjilé stronghold and 14% in N'Djamena compared with 1996. [Bambé, Naygotimtit (2001); " [http://www.cefod.org/Fichiers%20web/art.elec10.htm La fin des fiefs électoraux ?] ", "Tchad et Culture".] With all the opposition candidates he denounced the elections, asking for a rerun. [Citation| title=Idriss Deby élu au premier tour selon la CENI| newspaper=Afrique-express| issue=229| date=28-05-2001| url=http://www.afrique-express.com/archive/CENTRALE/tchad/tchadpol/tchad-presidentielle20012.htm] In 2002, his party, the UDR, boycotted the last parliamentary election [Citation| title=Résultats définitifs des législatives du 21 avril 2002| newspaper=Afrique-express| issue=251| date=18-06-2002| url=http://www.afrique-express.com/archive/CENTRALE/tchad/tchadpol/251resultatslegislatives.htm] , and did the same, in 2005, for the constitutional referendum. When the results of the latter were published, declared that the results were fixed and accused Déby of attempting to set up a political dynasty. [ [http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2005-06/2005-06-22-voa31.cfm?CFID=175774180&CFTOKEN=23511243 "Chad Referendum Ends Presidential Term Limit Amid Fraud Allegations"] , Voice of America, June 22, 2005.] On March 26 2005, the Public Security and Immigration Minister Abderahmane Moussa withdrew Alingué's passport, claiming that it was not valid, and thus prevented him from leaving Chad to participate in an important gathering of the main opposition leaders in Paris on March 27 2005. Opposition newspapers argued that the passport was valid, reporting a statement by Alingué, who said that he had travelled with the same passport since 2002 without anybody questioning its validity. [Mbaïdedji Ndjénodji Frédéric (2005); "Révue de presse tchadienne"; " [http://www.cefod.org/Revue2004.2005/revuepresse25.htm Semaine du 26 mars au 03 avril 2005] ".]

In the government of Prime Minister Youssouf Saleh Abbas, which was announced on April 23 2008, Alingué was appointed as Minister of Justice. [http://www.jeuneafrique.com/fluxafp/fil_info.asp?reg_id=0&art_cle=45149 "Tchad: l'opposition entre dans le nouveau gouvernement tchadien"] , AFP (Jeuneafrique.com), April 23, 2008 fr icon.] [ [http://www.presidencedutchad.org/institutions/Gouvernement%20du%2023%20Avril%202008.htm "Liste des Membres du Gouvernement du 23 Avril 2008"] , Website of the Chadian Presidency fr icon.] He was one of four members of the Coordination of Political Parties for Defense of the Constitution opposition coalition to be included in the government.

References