Gabonese presidential election, 2005
Encyclopedia
Gabon
held a presidential election on 27 November 2005. Incumbent President Omar Bongo Ondimba, in power since 1967 (making him Africa's longest-serving ruler), sought another seven-year term against four other candidates. According to an announcement of results by the country's interior minister, Bongo won the election with 79.2% of the vote. Bongo was sworn in for another seven-year term on 19 January 2006.
The electoral code was changed by Parliament in late June 2005; the opposition reacted angrily to the changes, which required soldiers to vote at their barracks, saying that under such circumstances soldiers could be ordered to vote for Bongo. On 6 October 2005, Gilbert Ngoulakia, the President of the National Electoral Commission, announced that the election would be held on 27 November, with security forces voting two days earlier on 25 November. Opposition leader Zacharie Myboto
denounced this as "additional proof of laws being fiddled to keep the ruling regime in power", arguing that having the soldiers vote on a different day would facilitate vote rigging and that it might be possible for them to vote a second time on 27 November. The decision to have soldiers vote on a different day was officially attributed to the need to have them available to keep the peace when the general population voted.
Also on 6 October, Ngoulakia said that campaigning would begin at midnight on 13 October, 30 hours after the deadline for candidacies. The campaigning period was to end on 26 November.
Protesting the composition of the 120-member National Electoral Commission, the opposition initially refused to participate in it, but following negotiations the opposition was granted 40 seats on the Commission on 7 October and ended its boycott.
Note: Myboto ran as independent since his political party, the Gabonese Union for Democracy and Development
(UGDD), was not legalized prior to the election.
Bongo announced his candidacy before a crowd of thousands in Libreville
on 1 October 2005. He made a series of gestures to alleviate poverty, such as saying that 100,000 households would be provided free water and electricity for one month, and money was frequently distributed at his campaign rallies. Critics argued that Bongo was simply buying votes.
Gabonese Progress Party
(PGP) leader Pierre-Louis Agondjo Okawé announced on 4 March 2005 that he would not be a candidate. This decision was attributed to old age and declining health. Agondjo Okawé died in August 2005, and the PGP experienced internal disagreement regarding its choice of a presidential candidate.
Pierre Mamboundou
, who officially placed second in the December 1998 presidential election
, ran again as the candidate of the opposition Union of the Gabonese People
(UPG). UPG Secretary-General Richard Moulomba claimed that Mamboundou was robbed of victory in 1998 and vowed that it would not happen again, warning that "if Omar Bongo and his cronies actually try to pull off the fraud they're preparing, what will happen, will happen." The UPG said that opinion polls showed Mamboundou to be the most popular candidate, with Bongo trailing in third place.
Myboto, who was for years a leading figure in the PDG regime, resigned from the party in April 2005. On 9 October 2005, he officially announced his candidacy for the presidential election before a crowd of over 5,000 supporters. Fiercely critical of Bongo and the government, Myboto alleged that Bongo had won the 1998 presidential election through fraud. He said that the government was seeking to depict the opposition as "irresponsible", but that in fact "they are the ones who want to set this country ablaze and they want us to be held responsible for what they are preparing." A Libreville rally in support of Myboto in early November was prevented by soldiers.
The National Electoral Commission placed turnout at 63.29%, although a western diplomat in Gabon said that it was probably about 30–35%. Low turnout had been widely anticipated by observers due to the popular feeling that Bongo would inevitably win the election.
Mamboundou and Myboto held a press conference on 1 December and said that the election was marred by a variety of irregularities: "Ballot-stuffing, multiple votes including in the name of deceased people, influence peddling, vote buying, and outsiders posing as Gabonese to cast a ballot." They urged "the Gabonese people to rise up and march peacefully ... not to take to the streets immediately but rather to take concrete and responsible action." Hundreds of opposition supporters then began to march through the streets of Libreville; the police used batons against the demonstrators and arrested 23 of them. On 2 December, the government urged the opposition to accept the results, "renounce anything that might upset public order and instead turn their eyes to future."
Mamboundou and Myboto called for a general strike in early December, alleging fraud. Later in the month, they legally appealed against the results. The Constitutional Court rejected the appeals on 5 January 2006, although it did annul the results from a single polling station in Koulamoutou
due to a "serious incident"; at that polling station, results showed Bongo receiving 150 votes, Myboto receiving 100 votes, and none of the other candidates receiving any votes. The elimination of that polling station's votes was insufficient to affect the outcome, and Bongo's victory was confirmed with an official score of 79.18%.
Gabon
Gabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...
held a presidential election on 27 November 2005. Incumbent President Omar Bongo Ondimba, in power since 1967 (making him Africa's longest-serving ruler), sought another seven-year term against four other candidates. According to an announcement of results by the country's interior minister, Bongo won the election with 79.2% of the vote. Bongo was sworn in for another seven-year term on 19 January 2006.
Organization and legal changes
Well in advance of the election, Parliament voted to remove term limits on the Presidency (which would have prohibited Bongo from running again); it also voted to hold presidential elections on a first past the post basis, with no second round in the event that the leading candidate falls short of a majority.The electoral code was changed by Parliament in late June 2005; the opposition reacted angrily to the changes, which required soldiers to vote at their barracks, saying that under such circumstances soldiers could be ordered to vote for Bongo. On 6 October 2005, Gilbert Ngoulakia, the President of the National Electoral Commission, announced that the election would be held on 27 November, with security forces voting two days earlier on 25 November. Opposition leader Zacharie Myboto
Zacharie Myboto
Zacharie Myboto is a Gabonese politician and President of the National Union , an opposition party. He was the Administrative Secretary of the Gabonese Democratic Party from 1972 to 1990 and served in the government from 1978 to 2001...
denounced this as "additional proof of laws being fiddled to keep the ruling regime in power", arguing that having the soldiers vote on a different day would facilitate vote rigging and that it might be possible for them to vote a second time on 27 November. The decision to have soldiers vote on a different day was officially attributed to the need to have them available to keep the peace when the general population voted.
Also on 6 October, Ngoulakia said that campaigning would begin at midnight on 13 October, 30 hours after the deadline for candidacies. The campaigning period was to end on 26 November.
Protesting the composition of the 120-member National Electoral Commission, the opposition initially refused to participate in it, but following negotiations the opposition was granted 40 seats on the Commission on 7 October and ended its boycott.
Presidential candidates
- Omar Bongo Ondimba - Gabonese Democratic PartyGabonese Democratic PartyThe Gabonese Democratic Party , is the ruling and dominant political party of Gabon. Its motto is Dialogue, Tolerance, Peace.It has held power since independence, first under Léon M'ba , then under Omar Bongo...
(PDG) - Pierre MamboundouPierre MamboundouPierre Mamboundou was a Gabonese politician. He was President of the Union of the Gabonese People , an opposition party in Gabon, from 1989 to 2011.-ACCT career and 1989 events:Mamboundou was born in Mouila...
- Union of the Gabonese PeopleUnion of the Gabonese PeopleThe Union of the Gabonese People is an opposition political party in Gabon. Officially registered in 1991, the current party president is Pierre Mamboundou....
(UPG) - Christian MarongaChristian MarongaChristian Serge Maronga was a Gabonese politician and President of the Rally of Democrats party.Maronga was a municipal official in Libreville...
- Rally of DemocratsRally of DemocratsThe Rally of Democrats is a small political party in Gabon. It was founded in 1997 by Christian Serge Maronga.Maronga was the party's candidate in presidential elections held on 27 November 2005. He finished last out of five candidates, winning 0.30% of the vote....
(RDD) - Augustin Moussavou KingAugustin Moussavou KingAugustin Moussavou King is a Gabonese politician and the President of the Gabonese Socialist Party .Running as the PSG candidate in presidential election held on 27 November 2005, he finished fourth out of five candidates, winning 0.33% of the vote....
- Gabonese Socialist PartyGabonese Socialist PartyThe Gabonese Socialist Party is a small political party in Gabon. It was founded in 1992.Augustin Moussavou King was the party's candidate in the November 2005 presidential elections. He finished fourth out of five candidates, winning 0.33 percent of the vote....
(PSG) - Zacharie MybotoZacharie MybotoZacharie Myboto is a Gabonese politician and President of the National Union , an opposition party. He was the Administrative Secretary of the Gabonese Democratic Party from 1972 to 1990 and served in the government from 1978 to 2001...
- IndependentIndependent (politician)In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
Note: Myboto ran as independent since his political party, the Gabonese Union for Democracy and Development
Gabonese Union for Democracy and Development
The Gabonese Union for Democracy and Development is an political party in Gabon...
(UGDD), was not legalized prior to the election.
Bongo announced his candidacy before a crowd of thousands in Libreville
Libreville
Libreville is the capital and largest city of Gabon, in west central Africa. The city is a port on the Komo River, near the Gulf of Guinea, and a trade center for a timber region. As of 2005, it has a population of 578,156.- History :...
on 1 October 2005. He made a series of gestures to alleviate poverty, such as saying that 100,000 households would be provided free water and electricity for one month, and money was frequently distributed at his campaign rallies. Critics argued that Bongo was simply buying votes.
Gabonese Progress Party
Gabonese Progress Party
The Gabonese Progress Party is a political party in Gabon.The PGP was established as a left-leaning party in March 1990, at the beginning of the wave of democratization that swept Africa in the early 1990s. Initially its key leaders were Pierre-Louis Agondjo Okawé, who was President, Marc Saturnin...
(PGP) leader Pierre-Louis Agondjo Okawé announced on 4 March 2005 that he would not be a candidate. This decision was attributed to old age and declining health. Agondjo Okawé died in August 2005, and the PGP experienced internal disagreement regarding its choice of a presidential candidate.
Pierre Mamboundou
Pierre Mamboundou
Pierre Mamboundou was a Gabonese politician. He was President of the Union of the Gabonese People , an opposition party in Gabon, from 1989 to 2011.-ACCT career and 1989 events:Mamboundou was born in Mouila...
, who officially placed second in the December 1998 presidential election
Gabonese presidential election, 1998
Presidential elections were held in Gabon on 6 December 1998. Incumbent President Omar Bongo Ondimba, in power since 1967, sought a seven-year term against five other candidates...
, ran again as the candidate of the opposition Union of the Gabonese People
Union of the Gabonese People
The Union of the Gabonese People is an opposition political party in Gabon. Officially registered in 1991, the current party president is Pierre Mamboundou....
(UPG). UPG Secretary-General Richard Moulomba claimed that Mamboundou was robbed of victory in 1998 and vowed that it would not happen again, warning that "if Omar Bongo and his cronies actually try to pull off the fraud they're preparing, what will happen, will happen." The UPG said that opinion polls showed Mamboundou to be the most popular candidate, with Bongo trailing in third place.
Myboto, who was for years a leading figure in the PDG regime, resigned from the party in April 2005. On 9 October 2005, he officially announced his candidacy for the presidential election before a crowd of over 5,000 supporters. Fiercely critical of Bongo and the government, Myboto alleged that Bongo had won the 1998 presidential election through fraud. He said that the government was seeking to depict the opposition as "irresponsible", but that in fact "they are the ones who want to set this country ablaze and they want us to be held responsible for what they are preparing." A Libreville rally in support of Myboto in early November was prevented by soldiers.
Announcement of results and aftermath
Interior Minister Clotaire-Christian Ivala announced results on television on the evening of 29 November. According to these results, Bongo was overwhelmingly re-elected with over 79% of the vote, while Mamboundou and Myboto trailed distantly in second and third place respectively. Mamboundou and Myboto immediately denounced the results as fraudulent. International election observers generally endorsed the election as acceptable.The National Electoral Commission placed turnout at 63.29%, although a western diplomat in Gabon said that it was probably about 30–35%. Low turnout had been widely anticipated by observers due to the popular feeling that Bongo would inevitably win the election.
Mamboundou and Myboto held a press conference on 1 December and said that the election was marred by a variety of irregularities: "Ballot-stuffing, multiple votes including in the name of deceased people, influence peddling, vote buying, and outsiders posing as Gabonese to cast a ballot." They urged "the Gabonese people to rise up and march peacefully ... not to take to the streets immediately but rather to take concrete and responsible action." Hundreds of opposition supporters then began to march through the streets of Libreville; the police used batons against the demonstrators and arrested 23 of them. On 2 December, the government urged the opposition to accept the results, "renounce anything that might upset public order and instead turn their eyes to future."
Mamboundou and Myboto called for a general strike in early December, alleging fraud. Later in the month, they legally appealed against the results. The Constitutional Court rejected the appeals on 5 January 2006, although it did annul the results from a single polling station in Koulamoutou
Koulamoutou
Koulamoutou is the capital of Ogooué-Lolo Province in central Gabon, with a population of around 16,000 people. It lies at the confluence of the River Lolo and the River Bouenguidi and on the N6 road. The town has an airport and had been developed by a Minister of Tourism born in a nearby...
due to a "serious incident"; at that polling station, results showed Bongo receiving 150 votes, Myboto receiving 100 votes, and none of the other candidates receiving any votes. The elimination of that polling station's votes was insufficient to affect the outcome, and Bongo's victory was confirmed with an official score of 79.18%.