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Justin Koumba (born 5 April 1947〔Willy Mbossa and Roger Ngombé, , ''Les Dépêches de Brazzaville'', 8 September 2007 .〕) is a Congolese politician who has been President of the National Assembly of Congo-Brazzaville since 2007.〔("Election du nouveau président de l'Assemblée nationale" ), Panapress, 5 September 2007 .〕 A former United Nations official, he served in the government of Congo-Brazzaville as Minister of National Education in 1992; subsequently, he was President of the National Transitional Council from 1998 to 2002 and President of the National Human Rights Commission from 2003 to 2007. ==Political career== Koumba was born at Gango in Kibangou District, located in Niari Department.〔 He worked as an official at the United Nations beginning in 1976.〔〔Willy Mbossa, , ''Les Dépêches de Brazzaville'', 4 September 2007 .〕 During the 1991–1992 transition to multiparty elections, Koumba was appointed to the transitional government headed by Prime Minister Andre Milongo as Minister of National Education on 26 January 1992.〔Gaston-Jonas Kouvibidila, ''Histoire du multipartisme au Congo-Brazzaville: Les débuts d'une crise attendue, 1992–1993'' (2000), L'Harmattan, page 51 .〕〔Gabriel Entcha-Ebia, ''Congo 50 ans d'indépendance: Pour quel avenir ?'' (2012), L'Harmattan, pages 107–109 .〕 He was retained as Minister of National Education in a cabinet reshuffle on 21 May 1992, and was additionally given responsibility for science, technology, youth, sports, culture, and the arts.〔Kouvibidila, ''Histoire du multipartisme au Congo-Brazzaville: Les débuts d'une crise attendue, 1992–1993'', page 66 .〕〔(''Bulletin de l'Afrique noire'', issues 1,570–1,614 ) (1992), page 12 .〕 The transitional period ended later in 1992; Koumba then returned to the UN and became UNESCO's representative for Central Africa and the Great Lakes countries.〔〔〔Jean-Dominique Geslin, ("« Le dialogue est ouvert à tous »" ), ''Jeune Afrique'', 24 October 2000 .〕 Following President Denis Sassou Nguesso's return to power in the June–October 1997 civil war, a National Reconciliation Forum was held in January 1998;〔John F. Clark, ''The Failure of Democracy in the Republic of Congo'' (2008), Lynne Rienner Publishers, page 258.〕 at the conclusion of the forum, Koumba was elected as President of the National Transitional Council (CNT), a 75-member body that was to act as the provisional parliament, on 14 January 1998.〔("Congo-Brazzaville: UNESCO employee elected Congo parliamentary speaker" ), Panapress, 15 January 1998.〕 Although Koumba was a southerner,〔(''Africa Research Bulletin: Political, Social, and Cultural Series'', volume 35 ) (1998), page 12,976.〕 the CNT was mostly composed of northerners, in line with the political dominance of northerners under Sassou Nguesso. The body, in place from 1998 to 2002, was critically characterized as an "embarrassingly compliant rubber stamp".〔Clark, ''The Failure of Democracy in the Republic of Congo'', page 260.〕 Speaking on Radio France Internationale in May 2000, Koumba alleged that former Prime Minister Bernard Kolelas, a political enemy of Sassou Nguesso who was living in exile, was a murderer. He also claimed that Kolelas had prisons built at his home and asserted that he had proof of these crimes. Kolelas denied Koumba's accusations.〔"Congo: Former premier denies "murder" charges, challenges for proof", Radio France Internationale, 27 May 2000.〕 Koumba was the President of the Alliance for Congo (''l'Alliance pour le Congo'', APC), which was established in 2001 and supported Sassou Nguesso.〔, ''Les Dépêches de Brazzaville'', 26 May 2007 .〕 Prior to this, he was never a member of any political party.〔 After the CNT, headed by Koumba, had been in place for more than four years, a parliamentary election was held in May–June 2002 in order to replace it with an elected National Assembly. Koumba stood in the election as the APC candidate for Banda constituency in Niari, and he won the seat in the first round with 58.70% of the vote.〔, ''Les Dépêches de Brazzaville'', 5 June 2002 .〕 He did not attend the first meeting of the National Assembly, at which Jean-Pierre Thystère Tchicaya was elected as President of the National Assembly, on 10 August 2002.〔, ''Les Dépêches de Brazzaville'', 10 August 2002 .〕 A year later, on 13 August 2003, he was one of 45 members of the National Human Rights Commission appointed by Sassou Nguesso, and on 2 September 2003, he was elected by the Commission as its President.〔, ''Les Dépêches de Brazzaville'', 3 September 2003 .〕 On 26 May 2007, the APC announced its merger with Sassou Nguesso's Congolese Labour Party (PCT).〔 After resigning from his post as President of the National Human Rights Commission,〔, ''Les Dépêches de Brazzaville'', 20 June 2007 .〕 Koumba stood in the June–August 2007 parliamentary election as the PCT candidate〔〔〔, Xinhua, 5 September 2007 .〕 in Banda constituency and was re-elected to the National Assembly.〔〔〔〔, ''Les Dépêches de Brazzaville'', 11 August 2007 .〕 After receiving 36.70% of the vote in the first round, Koumba faced Action Movement for Renewal candidate Jean-Claude Moussavou in the second round;〔Ya Sanza, ("Législatives : La liste des duels du second tour" ), Congopage website, 3 July 2007 .〕 he defeated Moussavou and won the seat.〔 At the opening session of the National Assembly's new parliamentary term on 4 September 2007, Koumba was elected as the President of the National Assembly.〔〔〔 He was the only candidate〔 and received 121 votes from the 129 deputies participating in the vote.〔〔 Koumba's election was in accordance with a custom that the post should be held by a southerner, and he was viewed as more reliably loyal to President Sassou Nguesso than the previous head of the legislature, Thystère Tchicaya.〔("Reclassements postélectoraux" ), ''Jeune Afrique'', 10 September 2007 .〕 As Congo-Brazzaville marked its 50th year of independence in 2010, Koumba said at the opening of the National Assembly's ninth ordinary session in mid-2010 that "after half a century of political sovereignty, we must now achieve economic sovereignty."〔Roger Ngombé, , ''Les Dépêches de Brazzaville'', 3 July 2010 .〕 In October 2010, Koumba visited Iran and met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, saying that he hoped for greater cooperation between the two countries.〔("Iran Pres. talks of 'historic' opportunity" ), Press TV, 24 October 2010.〕 He also visited the mausoleum of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and praised Khomeini for his leadership of the 1979 Iranian Revolution.〔"Congolese speaker praises Iranian revolution founder's revolutionary endeavours", Islamic Republic News Agency, 25 October 2010.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Justin Koumba」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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