Gabon Basic Information

The Republic of Gabon is a coastal state of the Gulf of Guinea, through which the Earth’s equator passes. The Republic of Gabon, a French colony until 1960, has long benefited from its “political stability”. Gabon has been ruled by autocratic presidents since independence. The head of state is President Ali Bongo Ondimba, who took office in August 2009 after winning the presidential election with a majority of 42% of the vote. He confirmed his position in office for the second time in the elections in August 2016. He is the son of his predecessor – President Omar Bongo Ondimba, who died on 08/06/2009. Omar Bongo was the longest-serving African president – in office on 28/11/1967, i.e. a total of 42 flight. The president heads the government, appoints the prime minister. The government is also appointed by the president on the proposal of the prime minister. The President is directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 7-year term (no term limits); the next election will be held in August 2023). Gabon is currently a unitary republic, practicing a presidential system of power with the existence of multiple political parties, created on the basis of a constitution adopted on March 14, 1991 (amended in 2003 and 2011).

Basic information about the territory

Subchapters:

• System of governance and political tendencies in the country
• Foreign policy of the country
• Population

The system of governance and political tendencies in the country

The Republic of Gabon is a coastal state of the Gulf of Guinea, through which the Earth’s equator passes. Gabon has the longest border with its eastern neighbor – the Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) – 1,903 km. It borders Cameroon (298 km) to the north and the Republic of Equatorial Guinea (350 km) to the northwest. The total length of Gabon’s land borders is 2,551 km. The Republic of Gabon, a French colony until 1960, has long benefited from its “political stability”. Gabon has been ruled by autocratic presidents since independence. A multi-party system was introduced in the early 1990s, and a new constitution (adopted in 1991) allowed for more transparent electoral procedures and reforms of government institutions. A sparse population, vast natural resources and considerable foreign support have helped make Gabon a relatively prosperous country in sub-Saharan Africa. The head of state is President Ali Bongo Ondimba, who took office in August 2009 after winning the presidential election with a majority of 42% of the vote. He confirmed his position in office for the second time in the elections in August 2016. He is the son of his predecessor – President Omar Bongo Ondimba, who died on 08/06/2009. Omar Bongo was the longest-serving African president – in office on 28/11/1967, i.e. a total of 42 flight. Check cancermatters to learn more about Gabon political system.

The president heads the government, appoints the prime minister. The government is also appointed by the president on the proposal of the prime minister. The President is directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 7-year term (no term limits); the next election will be held in August 2023). Gabon is currently a unitary republic, practicing a presidential system of power with the existence of multiple political parties, created on the basis of a constitution adopted on March 14, 1991 (amended in 2003 and 2011). Opposition parties were legalized in 1990 after 28 years of one-party rule. The “Gabon Democratic Party” (“Parti Démocratique Gabonais”, PDG) is in power.

The legislative power consists of a bicameral parliament – the National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale) with 120 seats and the Senate with 102 seats. Members of the National Assembly are elected by popular direct vote for a five-year term, while senators are elected by members of municipal governments and regional parliaments for a six-year term. Gabon’s political scene is dominated by the Gabonese Democratic Party (Parti démocratique gabonais or PDG). In 2016, President Ali Bongo was reportedly re-elected president in an election marred by widespread fraud. Opposing candidate Jean Ping and other opposition representatives refused to recognize the election results. The country has gone through political turmoil that has led to violent clashes, the shutdown of telecommunications networks and a series of demonstrations inside and outside the country. This tense situation also marked political developments in the country in 2017. The economic crisis continued,

Foreign policy of the country

The country is still clearly dominated by French influence, especially in numerous parastatals. However, the weakening of French economic influence in this country is slowly beginning to be seen, especially thanks to Chinese (and now also Turkish and Moroccan) competition. Gabon is a member country of the UN (United Nations), AU (African Union, established in July 2000 as a successor organization to the Organization of African Unity), NAM (Non-aligned Movement, HNZ – Movement of Independent Countries), WTO ( World Trade Organization), IMF (IMF – International Monetary Fund), AfDB (African Development Bank), IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency). It is also a member country of the Economic and Monetary Union of Central African Countries (CEMAC – Union économique et monetaire de l’Afrique centrale). The agreement to create this union was signed in Brazzaville, Congo, in 1964 (originally as the UDEAC community), and its members include Chad, Congo, Cameroon, the Central African Republic and, since 1985, Equatorial Guinea, in addition to Gabon. The main goal of CEMAC is the creation of a customs, economic and monetary union, while the ultimate goal is the creation of a functional economic and monetary union, convergence of the macroeconomic policies of the member countries and mutual harmonization of sectoral economic policies, uniform external tariffs and the removal of existing internal trade barriers (www.cemac. int). Check prozipcodes for Gabon defense and foreign policy.

Population

Population: 2.22 million,

population density: 6.24 inhabitants/km2

Age composition: • 0-14 years: 42.1% • 15-64 years: 53.1% • over 65 years: 3.8%

Average annual growth: 1.94%, urban population: 86.2%

Ethnic composition: Almost all of Gabon’s ethnic groups belong to the Bantu group. Gabon’s largest ethnic groups are – Fang, Eshira, Nzebi, Punu, Obamba and Teke.

About 160,000 people live in Gabon, of which about 11,000 are French.

Religious composition: The main religion in Gabon is Christianity, which is practiced by about 60-75% of the population. The rest are animists. Muslims are less than 1% in this country, however, President Ali Bongo Ondimba, like his father (a convert), professes Islam.