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Gabon, officially the Gabonese Republic, is a country on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, on the equator, 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 270,000 square kilometres (100,000 sq mi) and a population of 2.3 million people. There are coastal plains, mountains, and a savanna in the east. Libreville is the country's capital and largest city.
Little is known of the history of Gabon before 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 centre 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.
The president of Gabon is the head of state of Gabon. A total of three people have served as president since the post was formed in 1960.
Omar Bongo Ondimba was a Gabonese politician who was the second president of Gabon from 1967 until his death in 2009. Bongo was promoted to key positions as a young official under Gabon's first President Léon M'ba in the 1960s, before being elected the second vice-president in his own right in 1966. In 1967, he succeeded M'ba to become the country's president, upon the latter's death.
The Gabonese Democratic Party is a political party in Gabon. It was the dominant political party in Gabonese politics from 1961 until 2023, when it was deposed in a coup d'état against President Ali Bongo. It was also the sole legal party between 1968 and 1990.
The Teke people or Bateke, also known as the Tyo or Tio, are a Bantu Central African ethnic group that speak the Teke languages and that mainly inhabit the south, north, and center of the Republic of the Congo, the west of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with a minority in the south-east of Gabon. Omar Bongo, who was President of Gabon in the late 20th century, was a Teke.
Ali Bongo Ondimba, also known as Ali Bongo and Ali Ben Bongo, is a Gabonese former politician who was the third president of Gabon from 2009 to 2023. He is a member of the Gabonese Democratic Party. He is the son of Omar Bongo, who was president of Gabon from 1967 until his death in 2009. During his father's presidency, he was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1989 to 1991, represented Bongoville as a deputy in the National Assembly from 1991 to 1999, and was the Minister of Defense from 1999 to 2009. After his father's death, he won the 2009 Gabonese presidential election. He was reelected in 2016, in elections marred by numerous irregularities, arrests, human rights violations, and post-election protests and violence.
Patience Marie Josephine Kama Dabany, also known by the names Marie Joséphine Kama and Josephine Bongo, is a Gabonese singer and musician. Dabany served as the First Lady of Gabon from 1967 to 1987. For 28 years, she was married to Omar Bongo Ondimba, who was President of Gabon from 1967 to 2009. After their divorce, she successfully pursued a career in music. She is the mother of the former President of Gabon, Ali Bongo Ondimba.
The vice president of Gabon is a political position in Gabon. The vice president's role is to assist the president and the person serving as vice president has no interim role in the event of a power vacuum.
First Lady or First Gentleman of Gabon is the title held by the spouse of the president of Gabon. The current first lady is Zita Nyangue Oligui Nguema, wife of Brice Oligui, the Transitional President of Gabon.
The Meknes Royal Military Academy, located in Meknes, Morocco, is an institution dedicated to the training and education of officers for the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces. Established by Sultan Moulay Yusef in 1918 in Meknes, it was initially conceived to train the sons of Moroccan elites with ties to the colonial administration to lead Moroccan troops and assume administrative roles within the Makhzen, such as pachas, caïds, or khalifas. In 1961, it was rebranded as the Royal Military Academy. Since then, the institution has played a pivotal role in training numerous military and administrative leaders not only in Morocco but also across Africa.
The Gabonese Republican Guard is an independent military formation in the Republic of Gabon that is responsible for protection of government officials and buildings. It is the most powerful security unit in Gabon and is responsible for ensuring internal security. It is a directly reporting unit of the National Gendarmerie.
Events in the year 2023 in Gabon.
Albert Ondo Ossa is a Gabonese politician, member of civil society and associate professor of economics at Omar Bongo University.
On 30 August 2023, a coup d'état occurred in Gabon shortly after the announcement that incumbent president Ali Bongo had won the general election held on 26 August. It was the eighth successful coup to occur in West and Central Africa since 2020.
The Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions is the ruling military junta of Gabon. It took power in the 2023 Gabonese coup d'état after annulling the 2023 Gabonese general election.
Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema is a Gabonese military officer serving as Transitional President of Gabon, chairman of the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions and the Commander-in-Chief of the Gabonese Republican Guard. He is a member of the Bongo family and played a key part in overthrowing his cousin Ali Bongo during the 2023 Gabonese coup d'état.
General elections are due to be held in Gabon in 2025. They will be the first elections in the country since the Bongo dynasty was overthrown in the 2023 coup after 56 years of rule.
A constitutional referendum was held and approved in Gabon on 16 November 2024. The vote was on a new constitution; it proposed, among other things, a 7-year presidential term, renewable once consecutively. The referendum may lead to the return to a civilian regime which the military junta promised after the coup d'état in 2023.
References
- ↑ Bernault, Florence (2016-10-05). "Gabon: no sign in sight of a family dynasty being displaced". The Conversation. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
- ↑ Yeung, Jessie (2023-08-31). "Gabon's military coup has overthrown a powerful political dynasty. Here's what to know". CNN. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
- ↑ "Profile: Gabon's 'president for life'". 2003-01-20. Retrieved 2023-09-05.