Augustin Frédéric Kodock

Augustin Frédéric Kodock (born March 1 1933 [http://www.spm.gov.cm/showgouv.php?module=showindividu&lang=fr&pers=63 Page at Cameroonian government website] fr icon.] ) is a Cameroonian politician and the leader of the Union of the Peoples of Cameroon (UPC-K faction). [ [http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/refworld/rwmain?page=search&docid=42df60c82 "Cameroon: Union of the Peoples of Cameroon (Union des populations du Cameroun, UPC), particularly its structure, membership card and the treatment of its members by government authorities"] , Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (UNHCR.org), May 2005.]

Kodock was born in Mom, Makak District, Nyong-et-Kellé Department, in the Centre Province of Cameroon. He served in the government in the mid-1960s as Secretary of State for Finances, and from 1968 to 1980 he worked at the African Development Bank. In 1991 he was elected Secretary-General of the Union of the Peoples of Cameroon, and in the March 1992 parliamentary election he was elected to the National Assembly from Nyong-et-Kelle; he became president of the UPC parliamentary group. On September 28 1992, the UPC parliamentary group signed an agreement with President Paul Biya to support him, and following Biya's victory in the October 1992 presidential election,Joseph Takougang, "Cameroon: Biya and Incremental Reform", in "Political Reform in Francophone Africa" (1997), ed. John Frank Clark and David E. Gardinier, page 171.] Kodock was appointed to the government on November 27 as Minister of State for Urban and Regional Planning ("Aménagement du territoire").Edmond Kamguia, [http://www.cameroon-info.net/cmi_show_news.php?id=15273 "Coalition: Antar Gassagay quitte le navire"] , "La Nouvelle Expression" (Cameroon-info.net), December 11, 2004 fr icon.] He remained in this position until he was named Minister of State for Agriculture on July 21 1994. In 1996 he was re-elected as Secretary-General of the UPC; he was re-elected to the National Assembly from Nyong-et-Kelle in the 1997 parliamentary election [http://www.spm.gov.cm/elections/legislatives97/leg97_dep_sortants_f.htm 1997 election results] .] and was the only UPC candidate to win a seat. He was not included in the government formed on December 7 1997, in which Kodock's rival in the UPC, Henri Hogbé Nlend, was named Minister of Scientific Research. In the June 2002 parliamentary election, he was again re-elected to the National Assembly from Nyong-et-Kelle; [http://www.spm.gov.cm/elections/legislatives2002/leg2002%20_syn.htm 2002 election results] .] the UPC list of three candidates in Nyong-et-Kelle received a narrow majority over the RDPC, with 50.80% of the vote. Following the election, he briefly served as the provisional President of the National Assembly prior to the election of the National Assembly's bureau, due to his status as the oldest member of the National Assembly at age 69. [ [http://www.cameroon-info.net/cmi_show_news.php?id=11930 "Augustin Frédéric Kodock, Président provisoire de l'Assemblée nationale"] , Cameroon-info.net, August 1, 2007 fr icon.] He was then appointed Minister of State for Agriculture in the government named on August 24 2002, thus returning to the government after five years of absence from it. He supported Biya in the October 2004 presidential election, saying that his party did so on the basis of Biya's accomplishments as President. [Emmanuel Kendemeh, [http://www.cameroon-info.net/cmi_show_news.php?id=15407 "Election 2004: CPDM Patiently Awaits Results"] , "Cameroon Tribune" (Cameroon-info.net). October 18, 2004.] After the election, he was moved to the position of Minister of State for Planning in the government named on December 8 2004.

He ran again as a UPC candidate for re-election to the National Assembly in the July 2007 parliamentary election, [ [http://apanews.net/spip.php?page=show_article&id_article=34447 "More than 1200 candidates vie for 180 MP seats in Cameroon"] , African Press Agency, June 1, 2007.] but was defeated according to initial results. He filed a request for the election in his district, Nyong-et-Kelle (which he described as his party's "natural stronghold"), to be cancelled, alleging fraud on the part of candidates of the ruling Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (RDPC). [Aimé-Francis Amougou, [http://fr.allafrica.com/stories/200707261038.html "Cameroun: Aujourd'hui, dernier délai de recours"] , "Cameroon Tribune" (allAfrica.com), July 26, 2007 fr icon.] In August, the Supreme Court cancelled the election in Nyong-et-Kelle, giving Kodock another opportunity to win the seat when the election was held again. [ [http://fr.allafrica.com/stories/200708100923.html "Cameroun: Augustin Frédéric Kodock - Il sacoche au serpent"] , "Le Quotidien Mutations" (allAfrica.com), August 10, 2007 fr icon.]

Kodock remained Minister of State for Planning until he was dismissed from the government in a cabinet reshuffle on September 7 2007. [ [http://www.cameroon-info.net/cmi_show_news.php?id=20388 "Remaniement: La Vidéo"] , cameroon-info.net, September 7, 2007 fr.] It was believed that Kodock was left out of the government because his support had fallen to such a level that it was no longer politically useful to include him; his age may have also been a factor. [Kini Nsom and Nformi Sonde Kinsai, [http://allafrica.com/stories/200709131084.html?page=2 "Cameroon: Despite Cabinet Reshuffle Northerners Still Gun for Inoni's Job"] , "The Post", Buea (allAfrica.com), September 13, 2007.] In the revote held in Nyong-et-Kelle on September 30, the UPC list headed by Kodock was defeated by that of the RDPC, receiving about 40% of the vote against 55% for the RDPC, according to provisional results. [Aimé-Francis Amougou, [http://www.cameroon-info.net/cmi_show_news.php?id=20629 "Elections partielles: Le Rdpc confirme sa suprématie"] , "Cameroon Tribune" (cameroon-info.net), October 2, 2007 fr icon.] UPC factionalism was considered a contributing factor to the defeat, with Kodock's rival Henri Hogbé Nlend calling for people to vote for the RPDC; additionally, some in the UPC declined to vote for Kodock because they felt it was time for new leadership in the party. [Jean Francis Belibi, [http://www.cameroon-info.net/cmi_show_news.php?id=20633 "Nyong et Kellé : Le glas a sonné pour Kodock"] , "Mutations" (Cameroon-info.net), October 2, 2007 fr icon.] Kodock appealed to the Supreme Court for the RDPC list to be disqualified and for the revote to be annulled, but the Supreme Court rejected this on October 10. [Armand Essogo, [http://www.cameroon-info.net/cmi_show_news.php?id=20728 "Contentieux post-électoral des législatives partielles : sans surprise"] , "Cameroon Tribune", October 11, 2007 fr icon.]

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