André Kolingba

André Kolingba ( born August 12, 1935 in Bangui, † February 7, 2010 in Paris) was 1981-1993 President of the Central African Republic.

Soldier

Kolingba joined the French army and was used in Indochina and in Cameroon. After independence, the Central African Republic on 13 August 1960 he transferred to their new army. During the reign of Jean- Bédel Bokassa he represented his country for a time as ambassador in Bonn. He later became Chief of Staff.

President

In September 1981, he rushed Bokassa's predecessor and successor David Dacko and was as chairman of the Military Council himself head of state. On 21 November 1986 its draft constitution was approved by 92.22 % of the vote, which confirmed him as president for another six years. His new party Rassemblement Démocratique Centrafricain (RDC ) ( German: Democratic Association of Central Africa ), the new Unity Party and received in the parliamentary elections on 31 July 1987 all seats.

During his tenure, ex-Emperor Bokassa returned on 24 October 1986 from his exile in France back and was sentenced to death for numerous violations during his tenure. The sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 1988. Last benefited from a general amnesty Bokassa, the Kolingba announced at the end of his presidency in mid-1993.

Early 1990s was forced to allow other parties Kolingba as other African heads of state. The scheduled for October 25, 1992 presidential and parliamentary elections annulled by the Supreme Court, however, because of irregularities. In the first round of the presidential elections on 22 August 1993, he reached with 12.1 % of the votes in fourth place and retired. In the second ballot on 19 September, then Ange-Félix Patassé won against Abel Goumba. In the concurrent parliamentary elections his party occupied while the second place, but did no more than 13 of the 85 deputies. Kolingba accepted his defeat and handed over his office on 22 October 1993 to Patassé.

More career

In the presidential elections of 19 September 1999, he joined again. He received 19.38 % of the vote, finishing in second place, while Patassé were confirmed with 51.63 % in the first ballot. The defeated candidate complained it an unfair conduct of the elections. In 2001, he launched an unsuccessful coup attempt against the new government Patassé. Kolingba settled thereafter for some years abroad, in Bangui, he was sentenced in August 2002 to death in absentia. In October 2003, he apologized to a claims commission for mistakes during his tenure, and during the coup attempt of 2001. Patassé was overthrown by François Bozizé in 2003, Kolingba decided in 2004 to run again in the presidential election on 13 March 2005. Bozizé was accused in 1982 to have been behind an attempted coup against Kolingba and had been in 1989 handed over to the Central African Republic. As part of an amnesty decided by Bozizé the judgment which had become obsolete against him. With 16.36% of the votes and in third place this election ended with little success for him while Bozizé was confirmed in May against Martin Ziguélé in office. Shortly after the election in March, there was a shooting outside his house. Kolingba spoke of an attempted assassination, the government of a misunderstanding.

Death

Kolingba traveled on 2 November 2003, after Paris to leave to undergo prostate surgery. On February 7, 2010, he died in Paris.