Short facts about the government of Gabon
| Country
name: |
conventional long
form: Gabonese Republic
conventional short
form: Gabon
local long form: Republique
Gabonaise
local short form:
Gabon |
| Government
type: |
republic; multiparty presidential
regime (opposition parties legalized in 1990) |
| Administrative divisions: |
9 provinces; Estuaire, Haut-Ogooue,
Moyen-Ogooue, Ngounie, Nyanga, Ogooue-Ivindo, Ogooue-Lolo, Ogooue-Maritime,
Woleu-Ntem |
| Independence: |
17 August 1960 (from
France) |
| National
holiday: |
Founding of the Gabonese Democratic
Party (PDG), 12 March (1968) |
| Constitution: |
adopted 14 March
1991 |
| Legal
system: |
based on French civil law system and
customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Chamber of
the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction |
| Suffrage: |
21 years of age;
universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of state:
President El Hadj Omar BONGO (since 2 December 1967)
head
of government: Prime Minister Jean-Francois NTOUTOUME-EMANE (since 23
January 1999)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the
prime minister in consultation with the president
elections:
president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 6
December 1998 (next to be held NA 2005); prime minister appointed by the
president
election results: President El Hadj Omar BONGO
reelected; percent of vote - El Hadj Omar BONGO 66.6%, Pierre MAMBOUNDOU 16.5%,
Fr. Paul M'BA-ABESSOLE 13.4% |
| Legislative
branch: |
bicameral legislature consists of the
Senate (91 seats) and the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (120 seats);
members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year
terms
elections: National Assembly - last held 15 and 29 December
1996 (next to be held NA December 2001); Senate - last held 26 January and 9
February 1997 (next to be held in January 2002)
election results:
National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PDG 89, PGP
9, RNB 6, CLR 3, UPG 2, USG 2, independents 4, others 5; Senate - percent of
vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PDG 53, RNB 20, PGP 4, ADERE 3, RDP 1, CLR
1, independents 9 |
| Judicial
branch: |
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
consisting of three chambers - Judicial, Administrative, and Accounts;
Constitutional Court; Courts of Appeal; Court of State Security; County
Courts |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
African Forum for Reconstruction or FAR
[Leon MBOU-YEMBI]; Circle of Liberal Reformers or CLR [General Jean Boniface
ASSELE]; Democratic and Republican Alliance or ADERE [Divungui-di-Ndinge
DIDJOB]; Gabonese Democratic Party or PDG, former sole party [Simplice Nguedet
MANZELA, secretary general]; Gabonese Party for Progress or PGP [Pierre-Louis
AGONDJO-OKAWE, president]; Gabonese People's Union or UPG [Pierre MAMBOUNDOU];
Gabonese Socialist Union or USG [Serge MBA BEKALE]; National Rally of
Woodcutters (Bucherons) or RNB [Fr. Paul M'BA-ABESSOLE]; People's Unity Party or
PUP [Louis Gaston MAYILA]; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP [Pierre
EMBONI]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Pierre Claver
MAGANGA-MOUSSAVOU] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| International organization participation: |
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC,
CEMAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS (associate), ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM,
OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTrO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Paul BOUNDOUKOU-LATHA
chancery: Suite
200, 2034 20th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1]
(202) 797-1000
FAX: [1] (202)
332-0668
consulate(s): New
York |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador James V. LEDESMA
embassy: Boulevard de la
Mer, Libreville
mailing address: B. P. 4000,
Libreville
telephone: [241] 76 20 03 through 76 20 04, 74 34
92
FAX: [241] 74 55 07 |
| Flag
description: |
three equal horizontal bands of green
(top), yellow, and blue | Source: World Factbook |
