Misplaced Pages

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15-722: In order to defend himself, Giscard d'Estaing claimed to have sold the diamonds and donated the proceeds to the Central African Red Cross. He expected CAR authorities to confirm the story. However, the head of the local Red Cross society, Jeanne-Marie Ruth-Rolland , publicly denied the French claims. Ruth-Rolland was quickly dismissed from her post by in what she described as a "coup de force" by David Dacko . The saga contributed to Giscard losing his 1981 bid for reelection . This article about politics in France

30-524: A police station was opposed by Amnesty International . In August 1987 Ruth-Rolland was jailed for three years by a Special Jury for Political Matters for her criticism of Kolingba's corrupt government (officially "incitement"). Although released two-months early in September 1989, she was arrested again in December that year for refusing to make way for the presidential entourage. She was then detained at

45-669: A second round on 19 September 1993. They followed the previous year's elections , the results of which had been voided by the Supreme Court due to irregularities. The presidential elections were won by Ange-Félix Patassé of the Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People , who defeated Patriotic Front for Progress leader Abel Goumba in the second round. Incumbent president André Kolingba

60-632: A victory for the MLPC, which won 34 of the 85 seats, short of a majority. Kolingba's party, the Central African Democratic Rally –the only legally permitted party from 1986 to 1992–finished second, with 13 seats. When Patassé took office on 22 October, it marked the first—and to date, only—time since the Central African Republic gained independence that an incumbent government peacefully transferred power to

75-426: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Jeanne-Marie Ruth-Rolland Jeanne-Marie Ruth-Rolland (née Rolland ) (17 June 1937 – 4 June 1995) was a Central African politician, social worker and teacher. She is regarded as the first female African presidential candidate. Ruth-Rolland began her career as the supervisor for the education system of the French territory of Ubangi-Shari in 1956 and

90-537: The National Security Company paramilitary camp until April 1991. The following year, Ruth-Rolland was a candidate in the first multiparty elections and was elected deputy for the seat of Bakouma . As her own political party had not been legalised by the time of the election, she ran as the leader of the Civic Forum party. The election, however, was cancelled by Supreme Court and re-held

105-506: The centre of a political scandal known as the Diamonds Affair . In 1980, French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing was criticised for previously accepting diamonds from self-styled emperor Jean-Bedel Bokassa several years earlier. In order to defend himself, Giscard d'Estaing claimed to have sold the diamonds and donated the proceeds to the Central African Red Cross. Giscard d'Estaing expected then-President David Dacko to confirm

120-524: The first woman in Africa to run for president. Despite popularity as a candidate, she was not elected, acquiring 1% of votes. Following the election she resumed her position as deputy of Bakouma and ran a gold prospector's consortium in the eastern regions of the country. Jeanne-Marie Ruth-Rolland's paternal father was French and her mother was from the Nzakara people. Since her birth father died when she

135-636: The following year in 1993, when Ruth-Rolland was able to run under her own Central African Republican Party . She was elected despite attempts by President Kolingba to annul the ballot. Later that year she was appointed as the Minister for Social Affairs, the Status of Women and National Solidarity. Ruth-Rolland left her ministerial position on August 22, 1993, to run as a candidate in the Central African Republic general election , being

150-602: The story. However, as head of the local Red Cross society, Ruth-Rolland publicly denied the French claims. Ruth-Rolland was quickly dismissed from her post in what she described as a "coup de force" by Dacko. In 1981 André Kolingba became president of the Central African Republic, and in October 1983, Kolingba ordered the arrest of Ruth-Rolland for her denouncement of the embezzlement of government funds by social affairs minister Gaston Gambor and water and forests minister Sébastien Guipi. Ruth-Rolland's subsequent detainment at

165-508: The supervised the Central African Republic national education system following independence from France in 1960, continuing to teach until 1964. Following this she was employed as a social worker, helping street children, and as the head of army social services in the Central African Armed Forces , leaving the forces with the rank of battalion chief. Ruth-Rolland became an advisor to the government in 1979 and later

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180-706: Was appointed as the Minister for the Promotion of Women's Status. During this time she worked heavily with street children and was nicknamed "Aunt Ruth", a name which continued to be used throughout her life. Ruth-Rolland was the president of the Central African Red Cross . During this time she founded and lead the Central African Republican Party . As head of the Red Cross, Ruth-Rolland would later find herself at

195-452: Was eliminated in the first round, winning only 12% of the vote. When it became apparent that Kolingba was headed for defeat, he attempted to cling to power by issuing two decrees on 28 August that changed the composition of the Supreme Court and amended the electoral code, which would have allowed the results to be manipulated. However, Kolingba repealed the decrees under heavy pressure from France. The National Assembly election results also saw

210-476: Was not given. In her obituary, French newspaper Le Monde wrote that Ruth-Rolland "left her mark on Central African political life by her outspokenness." A memorial has been erected in Bakouma in her honor. 1993 Central African Republic general election André Kolingba RDC Ange-Félix Patassé MLPC General elections were held to in the Central African Republic on 22 August 1993, with

225-454: Was young, the Bandia paramount chief, Sultan Amiel Sayo, became her stepfather. She married a French arms dealer from Bangui with whom she had five children. She was an avid diamond-collector and pursued this hobby in her later years. In her final years, Ruth-Rolland became ill and was evacuated to Paris , France, where she died, aged 58, in hospital on June 4, 1995. The cause of her death

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