Charles Massi

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Charles Massi (born 25 July 1952 in Baboua, Nana-Mambéré Prefecture) is a Central African politician and President of the Democratic Forum for Modernity (FODEM) party.[1]

Massi was President of the Committee for Information and the Defense of Democracy, which he founded on November 17, 1991. After the victory of Ange-Felix Patassé of the Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People (MLPC) in the August 1993 presidential election, Massi joined the government of Prime Minister Jean-Luc Mandaba as Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources in October 1993, remaining in this position until June 1996. On February 6, 1997 he became Minister of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry.[1]

Massi founded FODEM on 27 November 1997 and was dismissed from the government in December, due to the establishment of FODEM and, according to Massi, his opposition to corruption. FODEM was legally recognized on 4 May 1998. He served as a deputy from Baboua in the National Assembly from 1998 until François Bozizé seized power from Patassé in March 2003.[1]

Running as the FODEM candidate in the presidential election held on 19 September 1999, Massi placed eighth out of ten candidates, winning 1.31% of the vote.[2][3]

After Bozizé took power, Massi was elected Second Vice President of the National Transitional Council on 14 June 2003, serving in this capacity until the new National Assembly was installed in June 2005.[1] Massi was again elected to the National Assembly from Baboua in the second round of the 2005 parliamentary election, held in May,[1][4] receiving 52.39% of the vote[5] and defeating Gon Baba.[4]

Massi also participated in the first round of the 2005 presidential election, held along with the parliamentary first round on 13 March, as the FODEM candidate.[3] Prior to the election, his presidential candidacy was rejected, along with a number of other candidates, by the constitutional court on December 30, 2004; however, on January 4, 2005, Bozizé announced that Massi, along with two other initially barred candidates, would be allowed to run.[6] In the election, he placed fifth out of eleven candidates and received 3.22% of the vote.[3][7] On April 21, Massi signed an agreement to support Bozizé in the second round of the election,[8] and after Bozizé's victory, Massi became Minister of State for Equipment, Transport and Civil Aviation in the government of Prime Minister Élie Doté, named on June 19, 2005.[9][10] In a cabinet reshuffle on September 2, 2006, he left that position and became Minister of State for Rural Development instead;[9][11] he served in the latter position until replaced in the government of Prime Minister Faustin Archange Touadéra in January 2008.[12]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e Profile of Massi at FODEM website.
  2. ^ "Rapport de la Mission d’Observation des Élections Présidentielles du 19 septembre 1999"PDF (280 KiB), democratie.francophonie.org (French).
  3. ^ a b c Elections in the Central African Republic, African Elections Database.
  4. ^ a b "Législatives — Baboua / Charles Massi élu Député malgré les Pressions exercées par les Autorités Locales", fodem.org, May 9, 2005 (French).
  5. ^ Results of 2005 parliamentary second round, batir-rca.org (French).
  6. ^ "Bozize repeals court ban on some presidential candidates", IRIN, January 5, 2005.
  7. ^ "Rapport de la Mission d’Observations des Élections Présidentielles et Législatives des 13 mars et 8 mai 2005 en République Centrafricaine"PDF (248 KiB), democratie.francophonie.org (French).
  8. ^ "Elections: MM. Ngoupandé et Massi apportent leur soutien à M. Bozizé", AFP (izf.net), April 21, 2005.
  9. ^ a b Lists of governments of the Central African Republic, izf.net (French).
  10. ^ "Newly-appointed premier names cabinet", IRIN, June 21, 2005.
  11. ^ "Nouveau gouvernement", fodem.org, September 3, 2006 (French).
  12. ^ "Composition du nouveau gouvernement centrafricain", African Press Agency, 29 January 2008.