Guei, Robert (1941–2002)

Côte d'Ivoire soldier and politician, military ruler 1999–2000. He led a military coup in December 1999 that ended four decades of rule by the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI). Guei had clashed frequently with ousted president Henri Bedie. To the relief of the international community, his government announced that a new constitution and electoral law would be quickly drafted. He lost power in presidential elections held in October 2000.

General Guei became military chief in 1990, but was sacked in 1995 after he had criticized President Bedie for using the military to suppress student riots. He went on to be appointed minister of civil services, but in November 1996 he was accused of involvement in a planned coup and was dismissed from the cabinet and from the army. Immensely popular among the country's armed forces, his colleagues in the military gave him the nickname ‘Le Boss’. Alassane Outtara, a former prime minister and opposition leader, returned home from exile immediately after the coup. Although Outtara had not been asked to join Guei's transitional government, he and his Rally of Republicans (RDR) party, welcomed the coup as a popular revolution. The relationship between Guei and Outtara, who were once allies, was difficult to qualify. In May 2000 Guei sacked eight of Outtara's allies from his government, replacing them with military figures. Guei's reshuffle had followed a decision by the RDR to oppose his proposed draft constitution that would be put to a referendum in July 2000. The party said Guei had failed to remove from the draft a nationality clause which could bar Outtara from standing in presidential elections. In the October 2000 presidential elections, Guei attempted to cancel the counting of votes and declare himself winner, but popular protest forced him to flee.

A true product of the French army establishment, Guei was trained by the Paris fire service and military academies. He rose to prominence in Côte d'Ivoire as the founder of the country's rapid para-commando intervention force FIRPAC, whose members were said to be the backbone of the Christmas 1999 mutiny. He staunchly supported the late veteran president Felix Houphoüet-Boigny.