Ange-Félix Patassé

Ange-Félix Patassé ( born January 25, 1937 in Paoua, † April 5, 2011 in Douala, Cameroon ) was the President of the Central African Republic 1993 to 2003.

Life

1959, a year before the independence of his country, he joined the Academy of Tropical Agriculture in Nogent -sur -Marne, France, from. In December 1965, he was named the then President David Dacko to agricultural and development minister.

When Jean - Bédel Bokassa came to power in 1966, Patassé quickly gained his favor and worked for many years as a minister in various ministries; among other things he was transport, health and tourism minister. On December 8, 1976 Bokassa appointed him prime minister. A year later, he took part in the extravagant ceremony in which Bokassa crowned himself emperor. Patassé thereupon turned from him and was relieved of all his posts. He then fled to Paris.

As Bokassa was deposed in a coup supported by France, imposed the reinstated Dacko house arrest on Patassé. He tried to flee to Chad, but was arrested again. Later, however, he was released for health reasons again. He stood as a candidate in the elections of 1981 and won 38 percent of the vote, so lost to Dacko. When he was six months later deposed in a coup led by André Kolingba and many parties were banned, Patassé fled back to France. 1982 he was involved in a coup attempt, but failed, so he initially fled to Togo and then to France.

In 1993, he ran again in the elections, this time as leader of the Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People ( MPLC ), and won against Kolingba and Abel Goumba. On October 22 of that year he took up office. In May 1996 there was an anti- French revolt that he could strike with François Bozizé. Another uprising in early 1997 it was again completed with the help and Bozizé's troops from Burkina Faso, Chad, Gabon, Mali, Senegal and Togo.

In the presidential elections in September 1999, Patassé won against Kolingba in the first round with almost 51.6 percent of the vote. Some opposition leaders described the results as rigged and François Bozizé himself launched several rebellions.

Patassé left the country in 2003 to go to a conference in Niger. During his absence Bozizé succeeded to bring the capital, Bangui, under his control on March 15. Although the coup was condemned internationally, we undertook no attempt to depose the new leader. Patassé was living in Togo in exile.

Although he was nominated as presidential candidate of his party in November 2004, we forbade him on 30 December to participate in the elections because the Constitutional Court found problems with his birth certificate. He was one of seven candidates who were suspended for the election. Following the signing of an agreement on 22 January in Libreville, Gabon, the other candidates were re-admitted. Due to a legal process, however, Patassé remained locked. He is accused of having 70 billion CFA francs stolen from the state budget, which he has, however, denied in an interview on 21 December 2004. He is also accused of having committed war crimes after a failed coup attempt in 2002. Patassé said the agreement of Libreville void, after which his party Patassé's last Prime Minister Martin Ziguélé had erected for election.