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Léon Mébiame

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Léon Mébiame
2nd Prime Minister of Gabon
In office
16 April 1975 – 3 May 1990
Preceded byLéon M'ba
Succeeded byCasimir Oyé-Mba
Personal details
Born1 September 1934
Libreville, French Equatorial Africa (present day Gabon)
Died18 December 2015 (aged 81)
Libreville, Gabon
Political partyPDG

Léon Mébiame (1 September 1934 – 18 December 2015) was a Gabonese politician who was the 2nd Prime Minister of Gabon. From 1975 to 1990, he served as the longest-serving Prime Minister in Gabonese history, at 15 years and 17 days.[1][2]

Life and career

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A member of the Fang ethnic group,[2] Mébiame was born in Libreville.[1][2] Under French colonial rule, he became an inspector of federal police in 1956 and was posted in Chad from 6 January 1957 to March 1959.[1] At independence in 1960, he was commissioner of police.[3] A close associate of President Omar Bongo, he was Vice President of Gabon from 1968 to 1975, when the position was abolished; he was then appointed as Prime Minister and served from 16 April 1975 to 3 May 1990. He was the minister of public finance from 1990 to 1991.[4] Subsequently, he joined the opposition in the early 1990s.[5][6]

He was appointed as President of the Libreville Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Mines on 6 November 2008.[7] He took office on 4 December 2008, succeeding Joachim Boussamba.[8] He was also appointed to the Economic and Social Council, an official advisory body, by President Bongo in 2008, although he lost his seat on the council after Bongo's son Ali Bongo Ondimba took office in 2009.[3]

Mébiame died at age 81 at a Libreville clinic on the night of 17–18 December 2015.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c La politique africaine en 1969 (1970), Ediafric, page 134 (in French).
  2. ^ a b c David E. Gardinier and Douglas A. Yates, Historical Dictionary of Gabon (2006), third edition, page 209.
  3. ^ a b c "Décès de Léon Mébiame, l’unique Premier ministre sous monopartisme" Archived 2015-12-22 at the Wayback Machine, Agence Gabonaise de Presse, 18 December 2015 (in French).
  4. ^ "Ministère du Budget, des Comptes Publics, de la Fonction Publique, Chargé de la Réforme de l'Etat - Anciens Ministres". April 18, 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-04-18.
  5. ^ "Convention républicaine ?" Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine, Africa Intelligence, 8 July 1993 (in French).
  6. ^ David E. Gardinier, "Gabon: Limited Reform and Regime Survival", Political Reform in Francophone Africa (1997), ed. Clark and Gardinier, Westview Press, page 156.
  7. ^ "Nomination d'un nouveau président de la chambre de commerce", Infosplusgabon, 7 November 2008 (in French).
  8. ^ "Gabon: Chambre de Commerce : Joachim Boussamba passe le flambeau à Léon Mébiame" Archived 2008-12-08 at the Wayback Machine, Gabonews, 4 December 2008 (in French).
Preceded by Vice President of Gabon
1968-1975
Succeeded by
Position abolished
Preceded by Prime Minister of Gabon
1975-1990
Succeeded by