Editing Gabon (section)

==== Independence ====

===== M'ba rule =====
The first president of Gabon, elected in 1961, was [[Léon M'ba]], with [[Omar Bongo Ondimba]] as his vice president. After M'ba acceded to power, the press was suppressed, political demonstrations suppressed, [[freedom of expression]] curtailed, other political parties gradually excluded from power, and the Constitution changed along French lines to vest power in the Presidency, a post that M'ba assumed himself. When M'ba dissolved the [[National Assembly (Gabon)|National Assembly]] in January 1964 to institute one-party rule, [[1964 Gabonese coup d'état|an army coup sought to oust him from power]] and restore parliamentary democracy. French paratroopers flew in within 24 hours to restore M'ba to power. After days of fighting, the coup ended, and the opposition was imprisoned, with protests and riots ensuing.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

===== Bongo rule and PDG =====
When M'Ba died in 1967, Bongo replaced him as president. In March 1968, Bongo declared Gabon a 1-party state by dissolving BDG and establishing a new party – the [[Parti Démocratique Gabonais]] (PDG). He invited all Gabonese, regardless of previous political affiliation, to participate. Bongo sought to forge a single national movement in support of the government's development policies, using PDG as a tool to submerge the regional and tribal rivalries that had divided Gabonese politics in the past. Bongo was elected president in February 1975; in April 1975, the position of vice president was abolished and replaced by the position of prime minister, who had no right to automatic succession. Bongo was re-elected President in December 1979 and November 1986 to 7-year terms.<ref name=bn/>

[[File:1670 Ogilby Map of West Africa ( Gold Coast, Slave Coast, Ivory Coast ) - Geographicus - Guinea-ogilby-1670.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|left|A map of [[West Africa]] in 1673]]
[[File:Gabon campaign '1e Compagnie de Chars de Combat de la France Libre'.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|left|The [[Battle of Gabon]] resulted in the [[Free French Forces]] taking the colony of Gabon from [[Vichy France|Vichy French]] forces, 1940]]

In 1990, economic discontent and a desire for political liberalization provoked demonstrations and strikes by students and workers. In response to grievances by workers, Bongo negotiated with them on a sector-by-sector basis, making wage concessions. He promised to open up PDG and organize a national political conference in March–April 1990 to discuss Gabon's future political system. PDG and 74  political organizations attended the conference. Participants were essentially divided into 2 "loose" coalitions, the ruling PDG and its allies, and the United Front of Opposition Associations and Parties, consisting of the breakaway Morena Fundamental and the [[Gabonese Progress Party]].<ref name=bn/>

===== Transitional government and RSDG =====
The April 1990 conference approved political reforms, including the creation of a national [[Senate (Gabon)|Senate]], decentralization of the budgetary process, freedom of assembly and press, and cancellation of an [[exit visa]] requirement. In an attempt to guide the political system's transformation to multiparty democracy, Bongo resigned as PDG chairman and created a transitional government headed by a new Prime Minister, [[Casimir Oye-Mba]]. The Gabonese Social Democratic Grouping (RSDG), as the resulting government was called, was smaller than the previous government and included representatives from some opposition parties in its cabinet. RSDG drafted a provisional constitution in May 1990 that provided a basic [[bill of rights]] and an independent judiciary and retained "strong" executive powers for the president. After further review by a constitutional committee and the National Assembly, this document came into force in March 1991.<ref name=bn/>

Opposition to PDG continued after the April 1990 conference, and in September 1990, two [[coup d'état]] attempts were uncovered and aborted. With demonstrations after the death of an opposition leader, the first multiparty National Assembly elections in almost 30 years took place in September–October 1990, with PDG garnering a majority.<ref name=bn/>

In 1991, the Parliament of Gabon adopted a new constitution, and the country switched to multiparty elections.

===== Bongo's re-election and rule =====
[[File:Omar Bongo with George Bush May 26 2004-01.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|President [[George W. Bush]] welcomes President [[Omar Bongo]] to the [[Oval Office]], May 2004]]

Following President [[Omar Bongo]]'s re-election in December 1993 with 51% of the vote, opposition candidates refused to validate the election results. Civil disturbances and violent repression led to an agreement between the government and opposition factions to work toward a political settlement. These talks led to the Paris Accords in November 1994, under which some opposition figures were included in a government of national unity. This arrangement broke down, and the 1996 and 1997 legislative and municipal elections provided the background for renewed partisan politics. PDG won in the legislative election, and some cities, including [[Libreville]], elected opposition mayors during the 1997 local election.<ref name=bn/>

====== Boycott of elections and crisis ======
Facing a divided opposition, President Omar Bongo coasted to re-election in December 1998. While some of Bongo's opponents rejected the outcome as fraudulent, some international observers characterized the results as representative, "despite many perceived irregularities". Legislative elections held in 2001–2002 were boycotted by several smaller opposition parties and were criticized for their administrative weaknesses, producing a National Assembly dominated by PDG and allied independents. In November 2005, President Omar Bongo was elected for his sixth term. He won re-election, and opponents claim that the balloting process was marred by irregularities. There were some instances of violence following the announcement of his win.<ref name=bn/> National Assembly elections were held in December 2006. Some seats contested because of voting irregularities were overturned by the [[Constitutional Court of Gabon|Constitutional Court]], and the subsequent run-off elections in 2007 yielded a PDG-controlled National Assembly.<ref name=bn/>

===== Death of Bongo and succession =====

[[File:Independence Celebration in Gabon.JPG|thumb|upright=1.25|Independence Day celebration in Gabon]]

Following the death of President Omar Bongo on 8 June 2009 due to cardiac arrest at a Spanish hospital in Barcelona, Gabon entered a period of political transition. Per the amended constitution, [[Rose Francine Rogombé]], the President of the Senate, assumed the role of Interim President on 10 June 2009. The subsequent presidential elections, held on 30 August 2009, marked a historic moment as they were the first in Gabon's history not to feature Omar Bongo as a candidate. With a crowded field of 18 contenders, including Omar Bongo's son and ruling party leader, [[Ali Bongo Ondimba|Ali Bongo]], the elections were closely watched both domestically and internationally.

After a rigorous three-week review by the Constitutional Court, Ali Bongo was officially declared the winner, leading to his inauguration on 16 October 2009.<ref name=bn/> However, the announcement of his victory was met with scepticism by some opposition candidates, sparking sporadic protests across the country. Nowhere was this discontent more pronounced than in [[Port-Gentil]], where allegations of electoral fraud resulted in violent demonstrations. The unrest claimed four lives and led to significant property damage, including attacks on the French Consulate and a local prison. Subsequently, security forces were deployed, and a curfew remained in effect for over three months.<ref name=bn/>

In June 2010, a partial legislative by-election was held, marking the emergence of the Union Nationale (UN) coalition, primarily comprising defectors from the ruling PDG party following Omar Bongo's death. The contest for the five available seats saw both the PDG and UN claiming victory, underscoring the political tensions that persisted in the aftermath of the presidential transition.<ref name=bn/>

The political landscape was further disrupted in January 2019 when a group of soldiers attempted a coup against President Ali Bongo. Despite initial unrest, the coup ultimately failed, but it highlighted the ongoing challenges facing Gabon's political stability.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bnonews.com/index.php/2019/01/military-coup-underway-in-gabon/|title=Soldiers in Gabon try to seize power in failed coup attempt|website=Bnonews.com|date=7 January 2019|access-date=7 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107084533/https://bnonews.com/index.php/2019/01/military-coup-underway-in-gabon/|archive-date=7 January 2019|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Against this backdrop of political volatility, Gabon achieved significant milestones on the international stage. In June 2021, it became the first country to receive payments for reducing emissions resulting from deforestation and forest degradation. Additionally, in June 2022, Gabon, along with [[Togo]], joined the [[Commonwealth of Nations]], signalling its commitment to multilateral engagement and cooperation.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://thecommonwealth.org/news/gabon-and-togo-join-commonwealth |title=Gabon and Togo join the Commonwealth |publisher=[[Commonwealth of Nations]] |date=25 June 2022 |access-date=24 September 2022 |archive-date=21 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220721122228/https://thecommonwealth.org/news/gabon-and-togo-join-commonwealth |url-status=live }}</ref>