The Epic Interactive Encyclopedia 1997/The_Epic_Interactive_Encyclopedia_97.iso/g/gabon/infotext

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Country in central Africa, bounded N by
Cameroon, E and S by the Congo, W by the
Atlantic Ocean, and NW by Equatorial Guinea.
government The 1961 constitution, revised in
1976, 1975, and 1981, provides for a
president elected by universal suffrage for a
seven-year term. As head of both state and
government, the president appoints and
presides over a prime minister and council of
ministers, and is also founder and
secretary-general of the Gabonese Democratic
Party (PDG). There is a single-chamber
legislature, the National Assembly, of 120
members, 111 elected and nine nominated for a
five-year term. Gabon became a one-party
state in 1968, the party being the PDG.
history Gabon was colonized by some of its
present inhabitants (the Fang and the Omiene)
between the 16th and 18th centuries. Its
first European visitors were the Portuguese
in the late 15th century. They began a slave
trade that lasted almost 500 years. In 1889
Gabon became part of the French Congo, and
was a province of French Equatorial Africa
from 1908. Gabon achieved full independence
in 1960. There were then two main political
parties, the Gabonese Democratic Bloc (BDG),
led by Leon M'ba, and the Gabonese Democratic
and Social Union (UDSG), led by Jean-Hilaire
Aubame. Although the two parties were evenly
matched in popular support, on independence
M'ba became president and Aubame foreign
minister. In 1967 the BDG wanted the two
parties to merge but the UDSG resisted, and
M'ba called a general election. Before the
elections M'ba was deposed in a military coup
by supporters of Aubame but was restored to
office with French help. Aubame was tried and
imprisoned for treason. The UDSG was outlawed
and most of its members joined the BDG. In
1967 M'ba, although in failing health, was
re-elected. He died later that year and was
succeeded by Albert-Bernard Bongo who, the
following year, established the Gabonese
Democratic Party (PDG) as the only legal
party. Bongo was re-elected in 1973 and was
converted to Islam, changing his first name
to Omar. In 1979 Bongo, as the sole
presidential candidate, was re-elected for a
further seven years. Gabon's reserves of
uranium, manganese, and iron make it the
richest country per head of population in
Black Africa, and both M'ba and Bongo have
successfully exploited these resources,
gaining control of the iron-ore ventures once
half-owned by the Bethlehem Steel Corporation
of the USA, and concluding economic and
technical agreements with China as well as
maintaining ties with France. Although he has
operated an authoritarian regime, Gabon's
prosperity has diluted any serious opposition
to President Bongo. He was again re-elected
in Nov 1986, and a coup attempt against him
in 1989 was defeated by loyal troops.