POLITICS: POLITICAL CRISIS IN GABON By Damilola Adeparusi

POLITICS: POLITICAL CRISIS IN GABON By Damilola Adeparusi

Today at dawn, over ten Gabonese military officers appeared on state television and read a statement which stated that, “we put an end to this regime.” They cited that government’s irresponsibility, unpredictability and partiality as some of the reasons they had to step in to end the current governance in Gabon Republic.

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Talking of the political history of Gabon as found in the New World Encyclopedia; the Gabonese Republic or Gabon, is a nation of west central Africa. Since its independence from France in 1960, the republic has been ruled by only two presidents, both autocratic; the incumbent, Omar Bongo, has been in power since 1967 and as of 2007 was Africa’s longest-serving head of state.

In response to unrest, Bongo introduced a multiparty system and a new democratic constitution in the early 1990s that allowed for a more transparent electoral process and for reforms of governmental institutions. But the government manipulated the process to remain in power. Bongo is believed to have funneled millions into bank accounts abroad.

Leon M’Ba was elected President of Gabon in 1967 and Omar Bongo was his Vice President.

MBa died a year later and Bongo became President. Immediately Bongo took over power, he declared Gabon a one-party state, dissolving the opposition party.

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Omar Bongo ruled Gabon till he died on June 8, 2009. He therefore ruled for 41 years.

Their constitution has been amended such that a fresh election must hold within 45 days in case of a President’s death.

But when Omar was President, his son, Ali Bongo served as Foreign Affairs Minister between 1989 and 1991 and as Deputy of the National Assembly between 1991 and 1999.

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He was Minister of Defence from 1999 until his father died in 2009.

He was generally regarded as a ‘spoilt boy’ and a foreigner because he wasn’t raised in Gabon.

He won the presidential election and became President in August 2009 till this morning when the military in Gabon overthrew his government after another election which he was just declared winner.

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