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{{Short description|Gabonese politician}}

'''André Dieudonné Berre''' (born 3 September 1940)<ref name=Elites>[https://books.google.com/books?id=47QMAQAAIAAJ&dq=Dieudonn%C3%A9+Berre+1940&ei=I95CSvPuPIGczQTR0-lE ''Les Élites gabonaises''] (1977), page 22 {{in lang|fr}}.</ref> is a [[Gabon]]ese politician. He served in the government of Gabon from 1990 to 2003 and was the Mayor of [[Libreville]], the capital and largest city, from 2003 to 2007. He is a member of the [[Gabonese Democratic Party]] (''Parti démocratique gabonais'', PDG) and is currently a Deputy in the [[National Assembly of Gabon]].

==Political career==
Born in [[Lambaréné]], Berre became a geologist and was Deputy Director-General of the [[Shell Gabon]] oil company during the 1970s.<ref name=Elites/> He was then Director-General of Shell Gabon from 1977 to 1990.<ref name=Who>"Berre André-Dieudonné", ''Gabon: Les Hommes de Pouvoir'' N°4, [http://www.africaintelligence.fr Africa Intelligence], 5 March 2002 {{in lang|fr}}.</ref> In late May 1990, following riots in [[Port-Gentil]] that were sparked by the mysterious death of opposition leader [[Joseph Rendjambé]], Berre complained that "the rioters systematically destroyed the infrastructure that we have invested many years to create".<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121023170103/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/28776725.html?dids=28776725:28776725&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May+27,+1990&author=&pub=Chicago+Tribune+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=French+++++++++riots&pqatl=google "French riots"], ''Chicago Tribune'', 27 May 1990, page 17.</ref> Berre entered the government as Minister of Trade and Industry later in 1990. He remained in that post until March 1994, when he was instead appointed as Minister of the Economy, Planning, Reform of the Parastatal Sector, and Privatization. He was then moved to the post of Minister of Trade, Industry, Small and Medium-Sized Industries, and the Craft Industry, in charge of the Reform of the Parastatal Sector and Privatization, in October 1994.<ref name=Who/> He was instead appointed as Minister of Higher Education, Research, and Technological Innovation, in charge of Relations with the Constitutional Assemblies, in 1999.<ref name=Who/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bdpgabon.org/ancien_site/bdp/gouvernement.htm |title="Nouveau vieux gouvernement gabonais" |accessdate=2009-01-10 |url-status=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20041027073143/http://www.bdpgabon.org/ancien_site/bdp/gouvernement.htm |archivedate=2004-10-27 }}, bdpgabon.org {{in lang|fr}}.</ref><ref name=IZF>[http://www.izf.net/pages/gouvernement/5894/ List of governments of Gabon] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121161309/http://www.izf.net/pages/gouvernement/5894/ |date=2008-11-21 }}, IZF.net {{in lang|fr}}.</ref>

As a PDG candidate in Libreville, Berre won a seat in the National Assembly in the [[2001 Gabonese legislative election|December 2001 parliamentary election]].<ref>[http://allafrica.com/stories/200112140406.html "Gabon: Bongo's Party Sweeps to Victory"], allAfrica.com, 14 December 2001.</ref> He remained in the government after the election and was moved to the position of Minister of Communication, Posts, and Information Technologies on 27 January 2002.<ref name=Who/><ref name=IZF/> Following the [[2002 Gabonese local elections|December 2002 local elections]], he was elected as Mayor of Libreville on 19 January 2003,<ref>"Gabonese capital has Andre Dieudonne Berre as new mayor", Panapress, 19 January 2003.</ref> receiving the votes of 91 out of 97 municipal councillors;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.afrique-express.com/archive/CENTRALE/gabon/gabonpol/263municipales.htm |title="Municipales: Le ministre André Dieudonné Berre élu maire de Libreville; L’opposition remporte la mairie de Port-Gentil" |accessdate=2017-04-20 |url-status=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040911223448/http://www.afrique-express.com/archive/CENTRALE/gabon/gabonpol/263municipales.htm |archivedate=September 11, 2004 }}, ''Afrique Express'', N° 263, 29 January 2003 {{in lang|fr}}.</ref> [[Mehdi Teale]] was then appointed to replace him as Minister of Communication.<ref name=IZF/> When [[Hu Jintao]], the President of the [[People's Republic of China]], visited Gabon in early February 2004, Berre designated him as an honorary citizen of Libreville and gave him a ceremonial key to the city.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20040202202536/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-02/02/content_1293842.htm "President Hu arrives in Libreville on state visit"], Xinhua, 2 February 2004.</ref> In late 2004, he banned the sale of drugs in Libreville's streets, describing it as "a harmful and illegal practice".<ref>[http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-14359688_ITM "No selling of drugs in Libreville's streets, says Mayor"], Panapress, 9 November 2004.</ref>

In the [[2006 Gabonese legislative election|December 2006 parliamentary election]], Berre was elected to the National Assembly, winning the first seat from the First ''Arrondissement'' of Libreville.<ref name=Resp>[http://www.gaboneco.com/show_article.php?IDActu=4011 "Gabon : Dieudonné Berre reçoit les responsables des fédérations PDG du 1er arrondissement de Libreville"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091004134814/http://www.gaboneco.com/show_article.php?IDActu=4011 |date=October 4, 2009 }}, GabonEco, 22 December 2007 {{in lang|fr}}.</ref> Because parliamentary deputies in Gabon are not allowed to hold any other elected office, Berre stepped down as Mayor of Libreville so that he could retain his seat in the National Assembly, and [[Alexandre Ayo-Barro]] was elected to succeed him as Mayor in May 2007.<ref>[http://gaboneco.com/show_article.php?IDActu=1177 "Gabon : Installation d'Ayo Barro dans ses nouvelles fonctions de Maire de la commune de Libreville"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091224111659/http://gaboneco.com/show_article.php?IDActu=1177 |date=December 24, 2009 }}, GabonEco, 11 May 2007 {{in lang|fr}}.</ref>

Berre is a member of the Political Bureau of the PDG as of 2007.<ref name=Resp/> Following the death of President [[Omar Bongo]] in June 2009, Berre stressed stability and continuity: "Gabon is being governed. The ministers are here and doing their work. I'm in the (National) Assembly and we are legislating. All the other institutions are working."<ref>Patrick Fort, [https://web.archive.org/web/20140226122530/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iibkNHqKk__4qRrB8morUV8U5Cew "Senate speaker becomes Gabon's first woman president"], AFP, 10 June 2009.</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berre, Andre Dieudonne}}
[[Category:Members of the National Assembly of Gabon]]
[[Category:People from Libreville]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1940 births]]
[[Category:Gabonese Democratic Party politicians]]
[[Category:Government ministers of Gabon]]
[[Category:Mayors of places in Gabon]]
[[Category:21st-century Gabonese politicians]]

André Dieudonné Berre - Revision history

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