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.
El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba was a Gabonese dictator under French control who was President of Gabon for 42 years, from 1967 until his death in 2009. Omar Bongo was promoted to key positions as a young official under Gabon's first President Léon M'ba in the 1960s, before being elected Vice-President in his own right in 1966. In 1967, he succeeded M'ba to become the second Gabon President, upon the latter's death.
The Gabonese Democratic Party, is the ruling and dominant political party of Gabon. Between 1968 and 1990 it was the sole legal party.
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.
The African Development Movement was a political party in Gabon led by Pierre Claver Zeng Ebome.
The Senate (Sénat) is the upper house of the Parliament of Gabon. It has 102 members, elected for a six-year term in single-seat constituencies by local and départemental councillors. Beginning with the 2009 election, some constituencies elect two senators.
Parliamentary elections were held in Gabon on 17 December 2006, although voting in seven seats took places on 24 December 2006 due to logistical problems. The ruling Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) won 82 seats, with other parties that supported President Omar Bongo winning another seventeen seats, among them the National Woodcutters' Rally of Paul M'ba Abessole with seven seats, the Democratic and Republican Alliance with three seats, the Circle of Reformist Liberals with two seats and the Social Democratic Party with one seat.
Presidential elections were held in Gabon on 6 December 1998. Incumbent President Omar Bongo Ondimba, in power since 1967, sought a seven-year term against five other candidates. It was Gabon's second multi-party presidential election and, despite low turnout and polling problems, Bongo won the election with 66.88% of the vote.
Presidential elections were held in Gabon on 5 December 1993, the first time more than one candidate had contested a presidential election in the country. Incumbent President Omar Bongo, in power since 1967, sought a five-year term against twelve other candidates. According to official results Bongo won in the first round with 51.2% of the vote. However, the main opposition leader, Paul Mba Abessole, alleged fraud, claimed victory, and threatened to form a rival government. Riots in 1994 practically brought the country to a standstill until Bongo agreed to attend a peace conference with opposition groups in September 1994, in which a coalition government was formed until the 1996 parliamentary election, which Bongo's Gabonese Democratic Party won by a landslide.
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.
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. In the National Assembly election the GDP put forward a list of 70 candidates for the 70 seats in the expanded Assembly. Voter turnout was 97.8%.
Parliamentary elections were held in Gabon on 24 February 1980. The country was a one-party state at the time, with the Gabonese Democratic Party as the sole legal party, thereby winning all 89 seats in the enlarged National Assembly. Voter turnout was 108% of the number of registered voters, although this was caused by voters being able to register on election day.
Presidential elections were held in Gabon on 9 November 1986. 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. Voter turnout was reported to be 99.9%.
Parliamentary elections were held in Gabon on 17 February and 3 March 1985. The country was a one-party state at the time, with the Gabonese Democratic Party as the sole legal party. The electoral system had been changed from the previous election, with it now taking place in two stages; firstly a primary election where a candidate and deputy were elected in each constituency, followed by a nationwide ballot on the proposed candidates. The number of elected seats was increased from 89 to 111, with the addition of nine members appointed by the President, one from each province.
Parliamentary elections were held in Gabon in 1990, the first multi-party elections in the country since 1967. The first round of voting was held on 16 September 1990, with a second round due the following week. However, results from 32 of the 120 constituencies were annulled after public protests claiming fraud by the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party and the second round was postponed. Re-runs were held on 21 October, with a second round on 28 October.
Parliamentary elections were held in Gabon on 17 December 2011. Amidst an opposition boycott, the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) won a landslide victory; official results were announced on 21 December 2011, showing that the PDG won 113 out of 120 seats, the most it had won since the beginning of multiparty politics in the early 1990s. A few other parties won the handful of seats remaining: the Rally for Gabon (RPG) won three seats, while the Circle of Liberal Reformers (CLR), the Independent Centre Party (PGCI), Social Democratic Party (PSD), and the Union for the New Republic (UPRN) won a single seat each.
Legislative elections were held in Gabon in 2018 along with municipal elections; the first round was held on 6 October and the second round on 27 October. Despite losing 15 seats, the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party maintained its two-thirds majority in the National Assembly, winning 98 of the 143 seats.
The Association for Socialism in Gabon was a political party in Gabon.
