| 2016 Gabonese protests | |
|---|---|
| Part of the aftermath of the 2016 Gabonese presidential election | |
| Date | 31 August – 1 September 2016 |
| Location | |
| Status | Ended |
| Lead figures | |
| Casualties | |
| Death(s) | 5 [1] |
| Arrested | 1,100 [2] |
After the 27 August 2016 presidential election in Gabon, in which President Ali Bongo Ondimba was narrowly re-elected against opposition candidate Jean Ping, armed clashes between supporters of Ping, who claimed victory, and police erupted, resulting in the authorities blocking the internet in Libreville. [3]
Violence broke out in at least nine of Libreville's neighborhoods when official results were announced on 31 August 2016, showing a narrow victory for President Bongo, [2] and protesters set the national parliament building ablaze. [4] Rioting and violence continued on 1 September. Ping's headquarters were surrounded and bombed by a presidential guard helicopter, killing two people. [5] [2] Gunfire and explosions were heard in the neighborhood of Nkembo. [2] According to a resident, government forces attacked an opposition radio and television station. [6] Some looting was reported. [2] Around 1,100 people were said to have been arrested as security forces fought to suppress the riots. Pacome Moubelet Boubeya, the Minister of the Interior, condemned the violence and accused Ping and other opposition leaders of orchestrating it; he also claimed that the rioters were armed with AK-47s and grenades, although the opposition denied that. President Bongo labelled the opposition leaders "a small group whose only aim is to take power for themselves." [7]
On 31 August, the major telecom companies in Gabon cut off Internet access. [8] [9]
Also, on 1 September, Jean Ping again claimed to have won the election and declared that "the only solution is that Bongo recognizes defeat". He said he would not bother appealing to the Constitutional Court because it was "a tool of the governing authority" that merely followed orders; instead, he appealed to the international community to intervene in the face of the government crackdown. Dismissing calls to publish the results for each polling station, the government said that could only be done if the opposition followed the legal process and appealed to the Constitutional Court. [7]
By 2 September, life in Libreville appeared to be beginning to return to normal, although there was a heavy presence of security forces maintaining order. Meanwhile, Ping held a press conference and declared himself to be President. [10] He called for a general strike to begin on 5 September: "I ask you from today onward not to use violence but to resist by blocking the country's economy". Nevertheless, business in Libreville was reported to be proceeding relatively normally. Internet access was restored though sources claim it is barely stable and hardly operates[ citation needed ]. Also on 5 September, Séraphin Moundounga, the Second Deputy Prime Minister for Justice, resigned to protest the government's unwillingness to conduct a recount, which he argued was leading to violence. [11]
Despite his previous criticism of the Constitutional Court, Ping appealed the results to the Court on 8 September, hoping to force a recount in Haut-Ogooue Province. [12] Ping warned on 9 September that if the Court did not rule in favor of a recount, "profound and sustained instability" could follow. [13]
Following the election, the government planned to hold an "inclusive political dialogue" to help resolve the ongoing discord. While about 50 political parties and 1,200 organizations were expected to attend the dialogue, Jean Ping and his supporters, gathered together in the Coalition for the New Republic, refused to participate. The dialogue was scheduled to begin on 28 March 2017. [14]
Gabon, officially the Gabonese Republic, is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo on the east and south, and the Gulf of Guinea to the west. It has an area of nearly 270,000 square kilometres (100,000 sq mi) and its population is estimated at 2.3 million people. There are coastal plains, mountains, and a savanna in the east.
Little is known of the history of Gabon prior to European contact. Bantu migrants settled the area beginning in the 14th century. Portuguese explorers and traders arrived in the area in the late 15th century. The coast subsequently became a center of the transatlantic slave trade with European slave traders arriving to the region in the 16th century. In 1839 and 1841, France established a protectorate over the coast. In 1849, captives released from a captured slave ship founded Libreville. In 1862–1887, France expanded its control including the interior of the state, and took full sovereignty. In 1910 Gabon became part of French Equatorial Africa and in 1960, Gabon became independent.
The politics of Gabon takes place in a framework of a republic whereby the president of Gabon is head of state and in effect, also the head of government, since he appoints the prime minister and his cabinet. The government is divided into three branches: the executive headed by the prime minister, the legislative that is formed by the two chambers of parliament, and the judicial branch. The judicial branch is technically independent and equal to the two other branches, although in practice, since its judges are appointed by the president, it is beholden to the same president. Since independence the party system is dominated by the conservative Gabonese Democratic Party.
Jean Ping is a Gabonese diplomat and politician who served as Chair of the African Union Commission from 2008 to 2012. Born to a Chinese father and Gabonese mother, he is the first individual of Chinese descent to lead the executive branch of the African Union.
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Casimir Marie Ange Oyé-Mba was a Gabonese politician. After serving as Governor of the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) from 1978 to 1990, Oyé-Mba was Prime Minister of Gabon from 3 May 1990 to 2 November 1994. Subsequently, he remained in the government as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs from 1994 to 1999, Minister of State for Planning from 1999 to 2007, and Minister of State for Mines and Oil from 2007 to 2009.
Local elections were held in Gabon on April 27–30, 2008, with 1,990 municipal and departmental councillors being elected.
André Mba Obame was a Gabonese politician. After serving as an adviser to President Omar Bongo in the 1980s, he was a minister in the government of Gabon from 1990 to 1991 and again from 1997 to 2009; during that time, he was identified with the reformist wing of the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG). He held the key post of Minister of the Interior from 2006 to 2009 and then briefly served as Minister of the Coordination and Follow-up of Government Action in mid-2009. He was an independent candidate in the 30 August 2009 presidential election and placed third with 25.33% of the vote, according to official results, but he claimed victory and alleged that the PDG candidate, Ali Bongo, won through fraud.
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Early presidential elections were held in Gabon on 30 August 2009. They took place due to the death of incumbent President Omar Bongo on 8 June, after more than 41 years as the sole president of Gabon. While the constitution stated that interim President Rose Francine Rogombé should organise elections within 30 to 45 days, the Constitutional Court accepted the government's request for a delay due to the circumstances.
Paul Biyoghé Mba is a Gabonese politician who was Prime Minister of Gabon from July 2009 to February 2012. A member of the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG), he served for years as a minister in the government prior to his appointment as Prime Minister. From 2012 to 2015, he was President of the Economic and Social Council of Gabon, and he has again served in the government as First Deputy Prime Minister for Health since 2015.
Presidential elections were held in Gabon on 27 August 2016. Incumbent President Ali Bongo Ondimba ran for re-election and was challenged by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean Ping. On 31 August, the electoral commission proclaimed Bongo's re-election with a margin of less than two percent. Large protests broke out in the capital Libreville after the results were announced. Irregularities such as Haut-Ogoou showing that 99.9% of the electorate had voted and Bongo had received 95.5% of the votes led to observers questioning the conduct of the election.
Pacôme Moubelet-Boubeya is a Gabonese politician. He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Gabon from 2020 to 2022, he previously served in the same role from 2016 to 2017. He also was Minister of the Interior from 2015 to 2016.
The following lists events the happened during 2016 in Gabon.
Martin Edzodzomo-Ela, also rendered as Martin Edzodzomo Ela or Martin Edzodzomo Ella, is a Gabonese economist and politician. He has written a number of books and articles advocating for democratic reforms in Gabon. His work with the Gabonese opposition caused his dismissal as a prominent banking executive in the 1970s. He ran as an independent protest candidate in the 1998 Gabonese presidential election.
The 2009 Gabonese protests was rioting and popular disturbances with immediate unrest and violent opposition-led street demonstrations and growing civil disobedience movement across Port Gentil and Libreville in Gabon after the immediate results of the 2009 Gabonese presidential election was announced. Two were left dead amid the unrest, clashes and fighting between the rival forces. French interference in the actions sparked national outrage, one of the causes if the immediate unrest.
General elections are scheduled to be held in Gabon on 26 August 2023. Incumbent President Ali Bongo Ondimba is running for re-election. The Gabonese Democratic Party, of which he is a member, has ruled the country continuously since independence from France in 1960, including 41 years under Bongo's father, Omar.
