The political framework of Gabon

Political Outline

Current Political Leaders: Transitional President Gen. Brice OLIGUI Nguema assumed office on September 4, 2023, following a coup led by him and a military group known as the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions on August 30, 2023. This coup resulted in the arrest and detention of President Ali BONGO Ondimba, the cancellation of election results, and the dissolution of state institutions. Gen. OLIGUI was officially sworn in as the transitional president on September 4, 2023.
Next Election Dates: Presidential: August 2025
Senate: August 2025
National Assembly: August 2025
Main Political Parties: Gabon is a multy-party state, though the Gabonese Democratic Party is the one that holds the power. Opposition parties are allowed, but are widely considered to have no real chance of gaining power. Opposition parties include:
- Restoration of Republican Values (RV)
- The Democrats (LD).

Following the 2023 military coup, all the members of the Transitional Parliament appointed by the Transitional president.
Executive Power: The legislative power is vested in the president, who is also the head of State. The president is elected for a seven-year term and has the power to appoint the prime minister. The Council of Ministers is appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the president.
Note: Transitional President Gen. Brice OLIGUI Nguema assumed office on September 4, 2023, following a coup led by him and a military group known as the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions on August 30, 2023. This coup resulted in the arrest and detention of President Ali BONGO Ondimba, the cancellation of election results, and the dissolution of state institutions. Gen. OLIGUI was officially sworn in as the transitional president on September 4, 2023.
Legislative Power: The legislative power is vested in the Parliament, which has two chambers: the National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale), composed of 120 members, of which 111 members are elected for a five-year term in single-seat constituencies and 9 members appointed by the president; and the Senate (Sénat), composed of 91 members, elected for a six-year term in single-seat constituencies by local and departmental councillors.
Note: Transitional President Gen. Brice OLIGUI Nguema assumed office on September 4, 2023, following a coup led by him and a military group known as the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions on August 30, 2023. This coup resulted in the arrest and detention of President Ali BONGO Ondimba, the cancellation of election results, and the dissolution of state institutions. Gen. OLIGUI was officially sworn in as the transitional president on September 4, 2023.
The composition of the Transitional Parliament, which was previously known as the bicameral Parliament, is as follows:
- the Senate comprises 70 seats, with members appointed by the Transitional president. The term of office for members is not applicable
- the National Assembly consists of 98 seats, with members appointed by the Transitional president. The term of office for members is not applicable.
This structure raises questions about the representativeness and democratic nature of the Transitional Parliament. With members appointed by the Transitional president and unclear terms of office, there are concerns about the accountability and independence of the legislative body. Such a setup could potentially undermine the principles of democracy and popular representation, leaving room for authoritarian tendencies and lack of transparency in governance.

Indicator of Freedom of the Press

The world rankings, published annually, measures violations of press freedom worldwide. It reflects the degree of freedom enjoyed by journalists, the media and digital citizens of each country and the means used by states to respect and uphold this freedom. Finally, a note and a position are assigned to each country. To compile this index, Reporters Without Borders (RWB) prepared a questionnaire incorporating the main criteria (44 in total) to assess the situation of press freedom in a given country. This questionnaire was sent to partner organisations,150 RWB correspondents, journalists, researchers, jurists and human rights activists. It includes every kind of direct attacks against journalists and digital citizens (murders, imprisonment, assault, threats, etc.) or against the media (censorship, confiscation, searches and harassment etc.).

World Rank:: 117/180

Indicator of Political Freedom

Definition

Definition:

The Indicator of Political Freedom provides an annual evaluation of the state of freedom in a country as experienced by individuals. The survey measures freedom according to two broad categories: political rights and civil liberties. The ratings process is based on a checklist of 10 political rights questions (on Electoral Process, Political Pluralism and Participation, Functioning of Government) and 15 civil liberties questions (on Freedom of Expression, Belief, Associational and Organizational Rights, Rule of Law, Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights). Scores are awarded to each of these questions on a scale of 0 to 4, where a score of 0 represents the smallest degree and 4 the greatest degree of rights or liberties present. The total score awarded to the political rights and civil liberties checklist determines the political rights and civil liberties rating. Each rating of 1 through 7, with 1 representing the highest and 7 the lowest level of freedom, corresponds to a range of total scores.

Ranking:: Not Free
Political Freedom:: 7/7

Political freedom in the world (interactive map)
Source: Freedom in the World Report, Freedom House

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