Robert Guéï | |
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| 3rdPresident of Ivory Coast[a] | |
| In office 24 December 1999 – 26 October 2000 | |
| Prime Minister | Seydou Diarra |
| Preceded by | Henri Konan Bédié |
| Succeeded by | Laurent Gbagbo |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1941-03-16)16 March 1941 |
| Died | 19 September 2002(2002-09-19) (aged 61) |
| Nationality | Ivorian |
| Political party | Independent |
| Other political affiliations | Union for Democracy and Peace in Ivory Coast |
| Spouse | Rose Guéï (?–2002;their deaths) |
Robert Guéï (French pronunciation:[ɡe.i]; 16 March 1941 – 19 September 2002) was an Ivorian politician who served as the third president of theIvory Coast from 24 December 1999 to 26 October 2000.[1] He succeeded PresidentHenri Konan Bédié after the1999 Ivorian coup d'état and lost toLaurent Gbagbo in the ensuing2000 Ivorian presidential election. Guéï, his wifeRose Doudou Guéï, and his children were killed on 19 September 2002 on the first day of theFirst Ivorian Civil War.
Guéï was born in Kabakouma, a village in the westernMan Department, and was a member of theYacouba ethnic community. He was a career soldier: under the French administration, he was trained at theOuagadougou military school and theSt Cyr military school in France. He was an ardent supporter of longtime PresidentFélix Houphouët-Boigny, who in 1990, had him chief of the army following amutiny. After the death of Houphouët-Boigny in 1993, Guéï became distanced from the new leaderHenri Konan Bédié. Guéï's refusal to mobilize his troops to resolve a political struggle between Bédié and the opposition leaderAlassane Ouattara in October 1995 led to his dismissal. He was made a minister but sacked again in August 1996 and forced out of the army in January 1997.[1]
Bédié was overthrown in acoup on Christmas Eve, 1999. Although Guéï had no role in the coup, the popular general was encouraged out of retirement to head thejunta until the next elections. On 4 January 2000, he became President of the Republic.[2] Guéï stood in theOctober 2000 presidential election as an independent. He only allowed one opposition candidate,Laurent Gbagbo of theIvorian Popular Front, to run against him. Guéï was soundly defeated by Gbagbo but refused to recognize the result. It took a spate of street protests to bring Gbagbo to power. Guéï fled toGouessesso, near theLiberian border, but remained a figure in the political scene. He was included in a reconciliation forum in 2001 and agreed to refrain from undemocratic methods.[1]
Guéï withdrew from the forum agreement in September 2002, but was killed along with his wife, formerFirst LadyRose Doudou Guéï, and their children on 19 September 2002, in theCocody district ofAbidjan during the first hours of thecivil war. The circumstances of his death remain mysterious, although generally attributed to forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo. Several members of his family and the interior minister,Émile Boga Doudou, were also killed.[1]
Following Guéï's death, his body stayed in a morgue until a funeral was held for him in Abidjan on 18 August 2006, nearly four years after his death.[3]
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | President of Ivory Coast 1999–2000 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
