Gabon (a.k.a. Bongoland)

[robert99]

(Hillary getting tips on how to get Chelsea as next President)
Protesters set fire to Gabon's parliament after president re-elected | News | DW.COM | 31.08.2016
Ali Bongo Ondimba - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Protesters set fire to Gabon's parliament after president re-elected
Gabon's opposition says two people have died after security forces tried to storm their headquarters. Witnesses said thousands took to the streets after an announcement that President Ali Bongo had been re-elected.

A government spokesman said the raid had been carried out to apprehend "criminals" who had set fire to the national parliament earlier. Clashes had erupted on Wednesday, after the incumbent, Ali Bongo, was declared the winner of Saturday's presidential poll, with opposition supporters chanting, "Ali must go!"

Bongo won 49.80 percent of the vote against 48.23 percent for his rival, Jean Ping, adding another seven years to his rule of the Central African country.

His re-election extends the rule of one of Africa's longest political dynasties to more than 50 years. Ping rejected the electoral results and demanded a recount.

(A sordid farce acted in front of a sinister backcloth ...)

 

[robert99]

Gabon violence: Hundreds arrested after disputed election - BBC News
Security forces in Gabon have arrested more than 1,000 people during a second day of violent protests following disputed presidential elections.

Reports say three people have been killed in the capital, Libreville.

Opposition supporters took to the streets after it was announced that President Ali Bongo had been narrowly re-elected in Wednesday's vote.

Opposition leader Jean Ping, who is in hiding, told the BBC that his party headquarters had been bombed.

The UN, US and former colonial power France have called for restraint and greater transparency about the results.

(If you believe in Peak Oil Gabon is where we're all heading. "Gabon's economy is dominated by oil. Oil revenues comprise roughly 46% of the government's budget, 43% of the gross domestic product (GDP), and 81% of exports. Oil production is currently declining rapidly from its high point of 370,000 barrels per day in 1997. Some estimates suggest that Gabonese oil will be expended by 2025." Gabon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia )

 

[robert99]

Gabon's Ali Bongo hits back at EU over poll 'anomalies'
Gabonese President Ali Bongo has denied EU observers' calls for a recount of last week's disputed presidential vote, saying it was a matter for the country's top court to decide.

On Tuesday, an EU mission observing the August 27 polls reported a "clear anomaly" in voting in Haut-Ogooue province, Bongo's heartland.

Official results gave turnout in the province at more than 99 percent, with 95 percent backing the incumbent against rival Jean Ping.

Oops! Wrong Ali Bongo ...

 

[robert99]

Gabon: President Ali Bongo sworn in for a second term | Africa | DW.COM | 27.09.2016
Gabon: President Ali Bongo sworn in for a second term
Ali Bongo was sworn in on Tuesday as Gabon's president for a second seven-year term. His inauguration came after the Constitutional Court upheld his victory. The opposition maintains that they won the election.

Election observers from the European Union acknowledged the weakness of the electoral system in Gabon. Using an unusually clear language, the EU complained about "clear abnormalities" in the results which could not be rectified.

Mehler added that recent elections have given rise to criticism elsewhere in Africa, including in Burundi, Congo Brazzaville and Chad.

"European governments put up with the farcical elections in Chad where the regime is more repressive than that of Gabon," he said.

Gabon does not have the same significance for Europe as Chad does, which could be why the EU and France are ready to criticize the country more harshly. This is even more the case in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, where President Joseph Kabila is trying to hold onto power by any means possible.