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This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Gabon |
Foreign relations |
General elections were held in Gabon on 25 February 1973 to elect a President and the National Assembly. The country was a one-party state at the time, with the Gabonese Democratic Party as the sole legal party. GDP leader and incumbent president Omar Bongo was the only candidate in the presidential election, and was elected unopposed. [1] In the National Assembly election the GDP put forward a list of 70 candidates for the 70 seats in the expanded Assembly. [2] Voter turnout was 97.8%. [3]
Gabon, officially the Gabonese Republic, is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, Gabon 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 million people. Its capital and largest city is Libreville.
The National Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Gabon. It has 120 members, 111 members elected for a five-year term in single-seat constituencies and 9 members appointed by the President.
A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system, or single-party system is a type of state in which one political party has the right to form the government, usually based on the existing constitution. All other parties are either outlawed or allowed to take only a limited and controlled participation in elections. Sometimes the term de facto one-party state is used to describe a dominant-party system that, unlike the one-party state, allows democratic multiparty elections, but the existing practices or balance of political power effectively prevent the opposition from winning the elections.
Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Omar Bongo | Gabonese Democratic Party | 515,841 | 100 | |
Invalid/blank votes | 2,091 | – | ||
Total | 517,932 | 100 | ||
Registered voters/turnout | 529,828 | 97.8 | ||
Source: Nohlen et al. |
Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
---|---|---|---|---|
Gabonese Democratic Party | 515,841 | 100 | 70 | +21 |
Invalid/blank votes | 2,091 | – | – | – |
Total | 517,932 | 100 | 70 | +21 |
Registered voters/turnout | 529,828 | 97.8 | – | – |
Source: Nohlen et al. |
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 slave trade with Dutch, English, and French traders arriving in the 16th century. In 1839 and 1841, France established a protectorate over the coast.
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. The judicial branch, like other two branches, is technically independent and equal to other three 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 Gabonese Democratic Party, is the ruling and dominant political party of Gabon. Between 1968 and 1990 it was the sole legal party.
The National Woodcutters Rally–Rally for Gabon is a political party in Gabon.
Elections in Gabon take place within the framework of a presidential multi-party democracy with the Gabonese Democratic Party, in power since independence, as the dominant party. The President and National Assembly are directly elected, whilst the Senate is indirectly elected.
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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.
Jean-Boniface Assélé is a Gabonese politician and the President of the Circle of Liberal Reformers (CLR). He served in the government of Gabon from 1975 to 1990 and again from 2004 to 2009. He was also Commander-in-Chief of the National Police Forces from 1970 to 1989 and held the rank of General. Since September 2009, Assélé has been the Fourth Vice-President of the Senate of Gabon.
Daniel Ona Ondo is a Gabonese politician who has been Prime Minister of Gabon from January 2014 to September 2016. He previously served as Minister of Education and First Vice-President of the National Assembly. He is a member of the Gabonese Democratic Party.
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General elections were held in Gabon on 12 February 1961 to elect a President and the National Assembly. It was the first time a president had been elected, with Prime Minister Léon M'ba of the Gabonese Democratic Bloc being the only candidate and was elected unopposed. In the National Assembly election the Gabonese Democratic Bloc and the Gabonese Democratic and Social Union put forward a joint list of candidates unopposed under the name "National Union". Voter turnout was 98.7%.
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Presidential elections were held in Gabon on 30 December 1979, the first time they had been held separately from National Assembly elections. The country was a one-party state at the time, with the Gabonese Democratic Party as the sole legal party. GDP leader and incumbent president Omar Bongo was the only candidate, and was re-elected unopposed.
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