Editing Jean Ping (section)

==== Ministerial career ====
On 26 February 1990, Ping was appointed Minister of Information, Postal Services, Telecommunications, Tourism, Leisure and Parastatal Sector Reform with responsibility for Parliamentary relations and government spokesman. He held the position only briefly before moving to the head of the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Hydraulic Resources from 29 April 1990 to June 1991, then again for nineteen months from 28 August 1992 to 24 March 1994.

On 25 March 1994, Ping was given responsibility for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation for the first time, before becoming Deputy Minister of Finance, Economy, the Budget and Privatization on 30 October.

Ping was elected to the [[National Assembly of Gabon|National Assembly]] from [[Omboué]] in the [[1996 Gabonese legislative election|December 1996 parliamentary election]], the [[2001 Gabonese legislative election|December 2001 parliamentary election]],<ref name="JA" /> and the [[2006 Gabonese legislative election|December 2006 parliamentary election]].<ref>[http://www.cooperation.refer.ga/spip.php?article415 "INFOS SUR M. Jean PING, Vice Premier Ministre en Charge des Affaires étrangères, de la coopération, de la Francophonie et de l’intégration Régionale"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721025619/http://www.cooperation.refer.ga/spip.php?article415|date=21 July 2011}}, cooperation.refer.ga {{in lang|fr}}.</ref><ref>[http://www.assemblee.ga/article.php3?id_article=5 "Liste des Députés par Circonscription"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090403202654/http://www.assemblee.ga/article.php3?id_article=5|date=3 April 2009}}, National Assembly website (accessed 5 January 2009) {{in lang|fr}}.</ref>

Ping was Minister of Planning, Environment and Tourism for two years from 27 January 1997 to 25 January 1999, before again taking responsibility for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, joined this time by the Francophonie portfolio and with the title of Minister of State. He remained there until his election to Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union on 6 February 2008, a position that he held until 15 October 2012. It was during this final nine-year ministerial term that he served as President of the United Nations General Assembly in 2004–2005.

On 1 February 2014, Ping announced his disillusionment with the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) and resigned on 19 February 2014.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://lessouverainistesgabon.wordpress.com/2014/02/20/jean-ping-demissionne-du-pdg/|title=Jean PING démissionne officiellement du PDG|date=2014-02-20|work=Les Souverainistes Gabon|access-date=2018-09-06|language=fr-FR}}</ref> He has since been in open conflict with President Ali Bongo and focused on unifying the opposition forces in a structure called Front uni de l'opposition pour l'alternance (FUOPA).