Jean-François Ntoutoume Emane

Jean-François Ntoutoume Emane (born October 6, 1939Samy Ghorbal, [http://www.jeuneafrique.com/jeune_afrique/article_afrique_dossier.asp?art_cle=LIN20115nousapacelr0&dos_id=152 "« Nous avons su garder le cap »"] , Jeuneafrique.com, 20 November 2005 fr icon.] ) was Prime Minister of Gabon from 23 January 1999 to 20 January 2006. He is a Vice-President of the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG), [http://www.gabonews.ga/actualite/actualites_2007.php?Article=2609 "Gabon: Locales 2008 / A Libreville, Assélé prône la « rupture » avec « les pactes non écrits » d’un maire Fang ou Mpongwè à l’Hôtel de ville"] , Gabonews.ga, April 22, 2008 fr icon.] and since 2008 he has been Mayor of Libreville. [http://www.jeuneafrique.com/pays/gabon/article_depeche.asp?art_cle=XIN43158jeanfellive0 "Jean-François Ntoutoume Emane élu nouveau maire de la commune de Libreville"] , Xinhua (Jeuneafrique.com), May 23, 2008 fr icon.]

Ntoutoume Emane is a member of the Fang ethnic group from Estuaire Province. After working at the Ministry of Finance, Ntoutoume Emane was named personal advisor to President Omar Bongo in 1976. He then served in the government as Minister of Civil and Commercial Aviation from 1977 to 1984 and as Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs from 1984 to 1987. [http://web.archive.org/web/20040412201832/www.afrique-express.com/archive/CENTRALE/gabon/gabonbios/ntoutoumebio.htm "Jean-François Ntoutoume Emane, Nommé Premier ministre du gabon, le 23 janvier 1999"] , "Afrique Express" fr icon.] In 1990, he was elected to the National Assembly, defeating opposition leader Paul M'ba Abessole in Lalala. He led negotiations with the opposition in 1994 that resulted in the Paris Accords, and he was chosen as Prime Minister after serving as the campaign manager for President Omar Bongo during his successful 1998 re-election campaign. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/261656.stm "New prime minister for Gabon"] , BBC News, 23 January 1999.] After seven years in office, he was replaced as Prime Minister by Jean Eyeghe Ndong after Bongo was sworn in for another term in January 2006. [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20060206210605/http://www.afriquecentrale.info/fr/news/news.asp?rubID=1&srubID=6&themeID=1&newsID=3605 "Nouveau locataire à la Primature"] , Afriquecentrale.info, 20 January 2006 fr icon.]

He won a seat in the December 2006 parliamentary election, but on 31 March 2007 his victory was annulled by the Constitutional Court due to irregularities. [http://www.gabonews.ga/artfiche.php?page=1&id_article=9127 "Gabon : l'ex premier ministre Ntoutoume Emane ne sera pas candidat aux législatives partielles du 10 juin prochain"] , Gabonews.ga, 11 May 2007 fr icon.] New elections for his seat and others with invalidated results were planned, [ [http://www.jeuneafrique.com/jeune_afrique/article_depeche.asp?art_cle=AFP05157lgisltelliu0 "Législatives et sénatoriales partielles les 10 juin et 1er juillet"] , AFP (Jeuneafrique.com), 27 April 2007 fr icon.] but Ntoutoume Emane decided not to participate in the re-vote, and Gisele Akoghé took his place as the PDG candidate.

In the April 2008 local elections, Ntoutoume Emane headed the PDG list in the 5th "arrondissement" of Libreville, the capital. [http://www.jeuneafrique.com/fluxafp/fil_info.asp?reg_id=0&art_cle=45485 "Gabon: sans surprise, large victoire du parti d'Omar Bongo aux élections municipales"] , AFP (Jeuneafrique.com), May 4, 2008 fr icon.] In the 5th "arrondissement" the PDG achieved its best result in Libreville, with 12 out of 16 councillors; however, the party fell short of an overall majority in the city with 42 out of 98 councillors. Ntoutoume Emane was presented by the PDG as its candidate for Mayor of Libreville, and on May 23 he was elected unopposed as Mayor for a five year term. He received 84 votes; the remaining 14 votes were invalid.

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