President of Gabon

This is a list of presidents of Gabon since the formation of the post of president in 1960, to the present day.

President of the
Gabonese Republic
Président de la
République gabonaise
Presidential standard
Incumbent
Ali Bongo Ondimba

since 16 October 2009
ResidencePresidential Palace, Libreville
Term length7 years
Formation17 August 1960
First holderLéon M'ba
DeputyVice President of Gabon
Salary65,000 USD annually[1]

A total of three people have served as president (not counting two acting presidents).

Description of the office

Election

The president of the republic is elected for a presidential term of seven (7) years, by universal and direct suffrage. The president is re-electable.[2]

The election is won by the candidate who obtains the largest number of votes.[2]

All Gabonese citizens, male and female, who are at least forty (40) years old, have resided in Gabon for at least twelve (12) months, and who enjoy their full civil and political rights are eligible to run for the seat of the presidency.[3]

The Constitutional Court may extend the provisioned time periods conforming to Article 11 below, but the elections may not take place more than thirty-five (35) days after the date of the decision of the Constitutional Court.[3]

If an application of the policies in the present paragraphs postpones the election to a date beyond the last day in office of the current president, he or she will remain in office until the election of the successor.[3]

The ways and means by which the present article may be applied are fixed by organic law.[3]

The presidential term begins on the day he presents himself for the presidential oath and finishes at the end of the seventh year following his election.[4]

The election of the president of the republic takes place at least a month and at most two months before the end of the previous president’s term.[4]

A current president may not shorten his or her term in any manner to run for another term.[4]

If the current president of the republic runs for the next presidential term, the National Assembly may not be dissolved. The president may also not exercise his power to legislate by ordinance from the moment he announces his candidacy up to the election. In cases of necessity, Parliament may convene in an extraordinary session.[4]

Oath of office

The presidential oath marks the beginning of the presidential term. It may not take place before the Constitutional Court’s decision to proclaim the official election results.[5]

At the moment of the president’s entry into office, the president of the republic will solemnly take the oath below, before the Parliament and the Constitutional Court, the left hand on the Constitution, and the other hand raised before the national flag:[6]

I promise to devote all my energies to the good of the Gabonese people, to assure their well-being and to protect them from all misfortune, to respect and defend the Constitution and the State of law, to fulfill conscientiously the duties of my position and to be just to all.

Vacancy

In case of a vacancy of the presidential office for whatever reason, or a permanent impairment of the current president, affirmed by the Constitutional Court called upon by the government through an absolute majority of its members, or failing that, by the bureaus of the two chambers of Parliament with a majority of their members, the president of the Senate will temporarily exercise the duties of the president of the republic, or in case of permanent impairment of the president of the Senate, affirmed by the Constitutional Court called upon in the same conditions, the first vice-president of the Senate will temporarily carry out the duties of the presidential office.[7]

The authority that assumes the presidential office in the interim will be temporarily invested with the full duties and powers of the president of the republic, to the exclusion of certain duties and powers provisioned by Articles 18, 19, and the first paragraph of 116. The temporary president may not present him or herself as a candidate of the next presidential election.[7]

Before his or her entry into office, the authority concerned will take the oath of office according to the conditions of Article 12 above.[7]

In the case of a vacancy, or if the president’s impairment is declared permanent by the Constitutional Court, the polls for the election of the new president, excluding cases of emergency announced by the Constitutional Court, will take place at least thirty (30) days or at most sixty (60) days after the beginning of the vacancy or the declaration of a permanent impairment of the president.[7]

List of officeholders

Political parties

Symbols

  Denotes Acting President
No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Elected Term of office Political party Prime minister(s)
Took office Left office Time in office
1 Léon M'ba
(1902–1967)[lower-alpha 1]
1961
1967
17 August 1960 27 November 1967
(died in office.)
7 years, 102 days BDG Himself
2 Omar Bongo Ondimba
(1935–2009)[lower-alpha 2]
1973
1979
1986
1993
1998
2005
2 December 1967 8 June 2009
(died in office.)
41 years, 188 days BDG / PDG Mébiame
Oyé-Mba
Obame-Nguema
Ntoutoume Emane
Eyeghe Ndong
Didjob Divungi Di Ndinge
(1946–)[lower-alpha 3]
6 May 2009 10 June 2009 35 days ADERE Eyeghe Ndong
Rose Francine Rogombé
(1942–2015)[lower-alpha 4]
10 June 2009 16 October 2009 128 days PDG Eyeghe Ndong
Biyoghé Mba
3 Ali Bongo Ondimba
(1959–)[lower-alpha 5]
2009
2016
16 October 2009 Incumbent 11 years, 115 days PDG Biyoghé Mba
Ndong Sima
Ona Ondo
Issoze-Ngondet
Nkoghe Bekale

Notes

  1. Briefly interrupted during the 17–18 February 1964 coup d'état.
  2. Previously named Albert-Bernard Bongo; changed name on 29 September 1973, after conversion to Islam. Added Ondimba to name on 15 November 2003.
  3. Acted for Bongo while he was incapacitated in the hospital, Vice President.
  4. Succeeded Bongo as the constitutional successor, President of the Senate.
  5. Son of Omar Bongo Ondimba.

Latest election

Candidate Party Votes %
Ali Bongo OndimbaGabonese Democratic Party177,72249.80
Jean PingUnion of Forces for Change172,12848.23
Bruno Ben MoubambaIndependent1,8960.53
Raymond Ndong SimaIndependent1,5100.42
Pierre Claver Maganga MoussavouSocial Democratic Party1,1300.32
Paul Mba AbessoleNational Woodcutters' Rally – Rally for Gabon7610.21
Gérard Ella NguemaIndependent5830.16
Augustin Moussavou KingGabonese Socialist Party5530.15
Dieudonné Minlama MintogoIndependent3930.11
Abel Mbombe NzoudouIndependent2140.06
Invalid/blank votes16,420
Total373,310100
Registered voters/turnout627,80559.46
Source: Interior Ministry, Interior Ministry

See also

References

  1. "Top 15 Highest Paid African Presidents 2017". 15 December 2016.
  2. Article 9 of the Constitution of 1991.
  3. Article 10 of the Constitution of 1991.
  4. Article 11 of the Constitution of 1991.
  5. Article 11A of the Constitution of 1991.
  6. Article 12 of the Constitution of 1991.
  7. Article 13 of the Constitution of 1991.
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