Alpha Oumar Konaré
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Alpha Oumar Konaré | |
|---|---|
President of Mali | |
| In office 8 June 1992 – 8 June 2002 | |
| Preceded by | Amadou Toumani Touré (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Amadou Toumani Touré |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 February 1946 ADEMA-PASJ |
| Spouse | Adame Ba Konaré |
| Alma mater | University of Warsaw, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies |
| Profession | Tutor, teacher, researcher, professor, historian and archaeologist |
Alpha Oumar Konaré (born 2 February 1946) is a Malian politician, professor, historian and archaeologist, who served as President of Mali for two five-year terms from 1992 to 2002 and was Chairperson of the African Union Commission from 2003 to 2008.
Scholarly career
Alpha Oumar Konaré, fourth son of a
He began his professional career as a tutor in Kayes, then a
Political activism
Konaré was involved in politics as early as the age of twenty, when he was elected the 1967 Secretary General of the Sudanese Union/African Democratic Rally (US-RDA, the party of President Modibo Keïta) of the École Normale Supérieure of Bamako.
Following the coup d'état of General
In 1978, however, he accepted a post in Moussa Traoré's government as Minister of Youth, Sports, Arts, and Culture. Though he resigned in 1980, his term was marked by the formation of many Malian sports organizations. He went on to found and direct the cultural review "Jamana" in 1983, as well as the cultural cooperative of the same name. In 1989 he also founded the daily newspaper Les échos, and in 1991 began "Radio Bamakan," Mali's first free radio station.
ADEMA and presidency
In 1990, he participated in the creation of the umbrella movement Alliance for Democracy in Mali (
By the end of the democratic transition instituted by Amadou Toumani Touré, he was elected as Mali's first elected president in 1992, receiving 69.01% of the vote in the second round against US-RDA candidate Tiéoulé Mamadou Konaté. He was re-elected for a second term in the 1997 presidential election despite a boycott of the ballot in protest of his annulment of legislative elections, and he was sworn in on 8 June 1997.[2]
His terms are noted for the restoration of democracy in spite of the 1997 difficulties, his management of the
Konaré publicly rendered homage to Mali's first president,
On the international stage, Konaré worked for peace and integration in the West African region. He served as president of
Term limited to two presidential terms by the constitution, Konaré left office in 2002 and was succeeded by Amadou Toumani Touré. To date, he is the only Malian president to leave office at the end of his term. On 10 July 2003, he was elected as Chairman of the Commission of the African Union (AU) at a summit in Maputo.[3][4] He was the only candidate; Amara Essy, who held the post in an interim capacity, withdrew his candidacy prior to the vote. 35 countries voted in Konaré's favor; there were six votes against him, while four countries abstained.[4]
Konaré raised the ire of civil society in Zimbabwe when, during a visit to Harare on 14 October 2006, in his capacity as Chairperson of the AU Commission, he declined invitations to meet with representatives of non-governmental organizations to discuss the situation in Zimbabwe.[citation needed]
On 25 January 2007, Konaré said that he did not intend to seek another term as chairman of the AU Commission.[5] On 1 February 2008, Jean Ping of Gabon was elected to succeed him;[6] Ping officially succeeded Konaré as Chairperson of the commission on 28 April 2008.[7]
After the presidency
In September 2021, Alpha Oumar Konaré, was urgently hospitalized in Morocco at Cheikh Zaid Hospital in Rabat.[8]
References
- ^ "Mali: Elections Terminated as Reconstruction Awaits". 15 August 2013.
- ^ "L'AGENDA DU PREMIER QUINQUENNAT 1992–1997"[permanent dead link], L'Essor, 6 June 2002 (in French).
- ^ "Profile: Konare, chairman of African Union Commission", Xinhua (nl.newsbank.com), 10 July 2003.
- ^ a b "Sommet de l’Union Africaine: Le Malien Alpha Oumar Konaré élu président de la Commission" Archived 28 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Afrique Express, N° 274, 16 July 2003 (in French).
- ^ Omar Faye, "AU Chairman says will bow out for another candidate"[permanent dead link], African Press Agency, 25 January 2007.
- ^ Peter Heinlein, "African Union Chooses New Leaders, Rebuffs Gaddafi's Union Plan" Archived 9 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine, VOA News, 2 February 2008.
- ^ "Gabon ex-foreign minister takes over African Union commission", Jeune Afrique (www.jeuneafrique.com), 25 September 2021.
- ^ "Exclusif – Mali : l’ancien président Konaré hospitalisé d’urgence au Maroc", Jeune Afrique, 25 September 2021.
External links
Media related to Alpha Oumar Konaré at Wikimedia Commons
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