 Speaking on February 14, 2009, Bello Bouba defended his party's participation in the government, saying that its participation gave it the opportunity to directly work for the benefit of the country in a way that would not be possible if it merely criticized the government from the outside.In mid-May 2009, it was announced that Bello Bouba would stand as the UNDP candidate in the 2011 presidential election.Bello Bouba's ministerial portfolio was altered on June 30, 2009, when he was appointed as Minister of State for Transport.