Zarifou Ayéva

Zarifou Ayéva (born April 22 1942 [http://www.infostogo.de/itsite/ta05/article_it291.htm "Zarifou Ayeva: Ministre d'Etat, Ministre des affaires étrangères et de l'intégration Africaine"] , infostogo.de fr icon.] [http://www.etiame.com/etiame296.htm List of government ministers] , Etiame.com fr icon.] ) is a Togolese politician who was Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Togo from 2005 [http://www.interet-general.info/article.php3?id_article=4769 "Togo : Des membres de l’opposition entrent au gouvernement"] , AFP (interet-general.info), June 21, 2005 fr icon.] to 2007. He is the President of the Party for Democracy and Renewal (PDR).

Ayéva was born in Sokodé, Tchaoudjo Prefecture. From 1977 to 1979, he was Deputy Director-General of the "Société Nlle de Sidérurgie" (SNS) in Lomé. He was appointed to the government as Minister of Trade and Transport in January 1978 ["Apr 1978 - Government Changes", Keesing's Record of World Events, Volume XXIV, April, 1978 Togo, Page 28924.] and was subsequently moved to the position of Minister of Information"Aug 1979 - Cabinet Reorganization - Arrest of Alleged Plotters", Keesing's Record of World Events, Volume 25, August, 1979 Togo, Page 29780.] before being replaced on March 19 1979 and leaving the government. From 1979 to 1982, he was Director-General of SNS.

Ayéva subsequently became the President of the PDR, which was founded in May 1991, and from 1991 to 1993 he was a member of the High Council of the Republic (HCR), which acted as the transitional parliament; on the HCR, he served as President of the Commission on Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Security. He was an unsuccessful candidate in the June 1998 presidential election,"Togo: Interior minister declares Eyadema to have been re-elected", Radio Togo (nl.newsbank.com), June 24, 1998.] [http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/898586b1dc7b4043c1256a450044f331/4e94c4d96732fa13c1256af000379051/$FILE/G0143065.pdf "CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS SUBMITTED BY STATES PARTIES UNDER ARTICLE 40 OF THE COVENANT: Addendum TOGO"] , United Nations International covenant on civil and political rights, CCPR/C/TGO/2001/3, July 5, 2001.] taking fourth place with 3.02% of the vote. On June 18, three days before the election, he and fellow opposition candidate Yawovi Agboyibo called for the election to be delayed due to irregularities during electoral preparations and difficulties they faced in campaigning, including their treatment by the High Audiovisual and Communication Authority. ["Togo: Two opposition candidates demand postponement of poll", Radio France Internationale (nl.newsbank.com), June 19, 1998.] A residence belonging to Ayéva was ransacked by security forces on August 17 1998. [ [http://www.unhcr.org/home/RSDCOI/3ae6aa5d8.html "U.S. Department of State Country Report on Human Rights Practices 1998 - Togo"] , UNHCR.org.]

In the government named on June 20 2005, which included members of the opposition, Ayéva was appointed Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and African Integration.

At the PDR's Third Statutory Congress, held on February 24 2007, was re-elected as the party's president. [ [http://www.radiolome.tg/template.php?pg=affichenews&idnews=5376 "3E CONGRES STATUTAIRE DU PDR : M AYEVA ZARIFOU RECONDUIT A LA TETE DU PARTI"] , radiolome.tg fr icon.] In the October 2007 parliamentary election, he was the first candidate on the PDR's candidate list for Tchaoudjo Prefecture, [ [http://www.cenitogo.tg/listecandidats/TCHAOUDJO.pdf List of candidates in Tchaoudjo Prefecture in the 2007 election] , CENI website fr icon.] but the PDR did not win any seats in the election. [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.]

Following the election, Ayéva was replaced as Foreign Minister by another opposition leader, Léopold Gnininvi, in the government of Prime Minister Komlan Mally, named on December 13 2007. [ [http://www.republicoftogo.com/central.php?o=5&s=1&d=3&i=1395 "Léopold Gnininvi aux Affaires étrangères"] , Republicoftogo.com, December 13, 2007 fr icon.]

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