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The Movement for National Rectification (French : Mouvement de Redressement National, MORENA) is a political party in Gabon.
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The Movement for National Rectification (French : Mouvement de Redressement National, MORENA) is a political party in Gabon.
MORENA was established in 1981, and was forced to operate illicitly in Gabon as the country was a one-party state at the time. It declared itself a government-in-exile and was supported by the Socialist Party in France. [1] Its leaders in Gabon were arrested in 1981 and 1982 for handing out leaflets calling for the restoration of multi-party democracy. Although they were given long jail sentences, they were released in 1986 during a general amnesty. [1]
By the early 1990s, several breakaway factions had been formed, including MORENA–Woodcutters (later renamed National Woodcutters' Rally) and MORENA–Unionist; the original party went under the name MORENA–Original. [1] It won seven seats in the 1990 parliamentary elections, whilst the Woodcutters faction won 20. In 1992 the party merged with the Gabonese Socialist Party and Gabonese Socialist Union to form the African Forum for Reconstruction. [1] However, all three parties later operated independently, and MORENA–Original won just one seat in the 1996 parliamentary elections.
Prior to the 1998 presidential elections the party joined the High Council of the Resistance, an alliance that supported the candidacy of Pierre Mamboundou of the Union of the Gabonese People. [2] He finished second in the elections with 16.5% of the vote.
In the 2009 presidential elections the party nominated Luc Bengono Nsi as its candidate. He received 250 votes (0.07%). The party nominated two candidates for the 2011 parliamentary elections, [3] but failed to win a seat.
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 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 Ondimba. It was also the sole legal party between 1968 and 1990.
Paul Mba Abessole is a Gabonese politician who heads the National Woodcutters' Rally – Rally for Gabon and was a leading opponent of President Omar Bongo during the 1990s. He stood as a presidential candidate twice during the 1990s and also served as Mayor of Libreville, the capital. From 2002 to 2009 he served in the government of Gabon, holding the rank of Deputy Prime Minister for most of that period.
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.
The Gabonese Progress Party is a political party in Gabon.
The Social Democratic Party is a political party in Gabon. It is part of the Presidential Majority coalition and is led by Pierre Claver Maganga Moussavou.
The National Woodcutters Rally–Democratic, also known as National Woodcutters Rally–Kombila (RNB-Kombila) is a political party in Gabon.
The Gabonese Union for Democracy and Development was a political party in Gabon.
The Union of the Gabonese People is an opposition political party in Gabon. It was led by Pierre Mamboundou until his death in 2011.
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.
The African Forum for Reconstruction is a political party in Gabon led by Léon Mbou Yembi.
Presidential elections were held in Gabon on 6 December 1998. Incumbent President Omar Bongo, 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.
Pierre-André Kombila Koumba is a Gabonese politician, professor, and medical doctor. He was the First Secretary of the National Rally of Woodcutters (RNB), Gabon's main opposition party, from 1990 to 1998; he then led a split from the RNB, establishing the more radical National Rally of Woodcutters - Democrats (RNB-D) in 1998. He was nominated as the RNB-D's candidate for the 1998 presidential election, but received only a small share of the vote. Later, he abandoned his opposition to President Omar Bongo and joined the government, serving as Minister of Technical and Vocational Education from 2006 to 2009 and as Minister of Hydraulic Resources and New Energies in 2009. Following Bongo's death, he rejoined the opposition in mid-2009.
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.
The Gabonese Socialist Union is a political party in Gabon. Initially an opposition party founded by formerly exiled student activists, the party aligned itself with the ruling majority.
The Movement for National Rectification–Unionist is a political party in Gabon.
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