Paul Gondjout
| Paul Marie Indjendjet Gondjout | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Member of the Senate of France | |
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In office 24 July 1949 – 7 June 1958 |
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| President of the National Assembly | |
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In office March 1957 – February 1961 |
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| Preceded by | Post established |
| Succeeded by | Louis Bigmann |
| President of the Economic Council | |
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In office 1962–1964 |
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| President of the National Assembly | |
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In office April 1975 – February 1980 |
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| Preceded by | Georges Damas Alela |
| Succeeded by | Jules Bourdes Ogouliguende |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
4 June 1912 Gabon |
| Died | 1 July 1990 (aged 78) Libreville, Gabon |
| Nationality | Gabonese |
| Political party | Gabonese Democratic Bloc |
Paul Marie Indjendjet Gondjout (4 June 1912 – 1 July 1990) was a Gabonese politician and civil servant, and the father of Laure Gondjout, another prominent Gabonese politician. Gondjout was a member of the Mpongwe ethnic group, and served in the French colonial administration from 1928, and founded the Cercle amical et mutualiste des évolués de Port-Gentil in 1943. He was a delegate to the French Senate from 1949 to 1958, and founded the Gabonese Democratic Bloc (BDG). In 1954, Léon M'ba joined the party and eventually overthrew Gondjout as leader.
In 1960, then President M'ba reshuffled the government without consulting Parliament. When Gondjout filed a motion of censure he was charged with attempting a coup d'état and sentenced to two years in prison. Following his release, M'ba appointed him to the largely symbolic post of President of the Economic Council, in part to silence the threat he represented.
Gondjout served as Minister of State during the abortive 1964 Gabon coup d'état but was acquitted of all charges during his subsequent trial. He lived outside public view from his 1966 acquittal to his death on 1 July 1990 and there is little record of his life during this period.
Gondjout was born on 4 June 1912, to a Mpongwe family. He had a younger brother named Edouard. The elder Gondjout began his service in the French colonial administration in 1928. In 1943 he founded the Cercle amical et mutualiste des évolués de Port-Gentil (roughly translated as Mutual Friends for the Evolution of Port-Gentil), an organization that enchouraged and utilised the talents of educated Gabonese. With the assistance of Mpongwe businesspeople, In 1945 he established the Gabonese Democratic Party alongside Emile Issembe.
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