Ali Bongo Ondimba

Ali - Ben Bongo Ondimba ( born February 9, 1959 in Brazzaville as Alain Bernard Bongo ) is a Gabonese politician. In 2009 he was elected to succeed his father as president Omar Bongo, and sworn in on 16 October 2009 in office. He comes from the Bateke minority.

Life and work

He studied law at the Sorbonne in Paris, before turning to politics in the 1980s and of the President, his father's office, cooperated. From 1989 to 1991 he was Minister of Foreign Affairs of the country. He was assigned to the reformist wing within the Democratic Party Gabunesische. A constitutional amendment adopted in 1991, which fixed the minimum age for ministers to 35 years forced him to withdraw from the government.

In the parliamentary elections in 1990 and 1996, he was elected to the National Assembly of Gabon. He became minister of defense in 1999. This post he held until September 2009 when he was elected with 41.7 % of the votes for President of Gabon. His election led to protests by opposition supporters.

He is married to Sylvia Valentin. Together they have a daughter and two sons. Bongo is also a musician, for his mother, the singer and drummer Patience Dabany, wrote several songs.

In 2009 he was elected Grand Master of the regular Masonic Grand Lodge of Gabon, an office which had held his father.