The Government of Gabon - CountriesPedia

Gabon - Government

Based on the etymolgy of Gabon, it was name originates from the Portuguese word "gabao" meaning "cloak," which is roughly the shape that the early explorers gave to the estuary of the Komo River by the capital of Libreville. The Government system in this country is the presidential republic type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 9 provinces; Estuaire, Haut-Ogooue, Moyen-Ogooue, Ngounie, Nyanga, Ogooue-Ivindo, Ogooue-Lolo, Ogooue-Maritime, Woleu-Ntem

National symbols

Black panther; national colors: green, yellow, blue.

The flag

The National flag of Gabon has three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and blue; green represents the country's forests and natural resources, gold represents the equator (which transects Gabon) as well as the sun, blue represents the sea.

The National Anthem

Title	"La Concorde" (The Concorde)
Lyric/music	Georges Aleka DAMAS

note: adopted 1960

More about the government of Gabon

Constitution
Date of Independence	17 August 1960 (from France)
National holiday	Independence Day, 17 August (1960)
Legal system	mixed legal system of French civil law and customary law
International law organization participation	has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
History	Previous 1961; latest drafted May 1990, adopted 15 March 1991, promulgated 26 March 1991
Amendments	Proposed by the president of the republic, by the Council of Ministers, or by one third of either house of Parliament; passage requires Constitutional Court evaluation, at least two-thirds majority vote of two thirds of the Parliament membership convened in joint session, and approval in a referendum; constitutional articles on Gabon’s democratic form of government cannot be amended; amended several times, last in 2023 (presidential term reduced to 5 years and election reduced to a single vote)
Citizenship
Citizenship by birth	no
Citizenship by descent only	at least one parent must be a citizen of Gabon
Dual citizenship recognized	no
Residency requirement for naturalization	10 years
Executive Branch
Chief of state	Transitional President Gen. Brice OLIGUI Nguema (since 4 September 2023)
Head of government	Prime Minister Raymond NDONG SIMA (since 7 September 2023)
Cabinet	formerly the Council of Ministers, appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the president
Elections/appointments	formerly, the president directly elected by plurality vote for a 5-year term (no term limits); election last held on 26 August 2023; prime minister appointed by the president; note - in August 2023, Gen. Brice OLIGUI Nguema led a military group called Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions in a coup in which President Ali BONGO Ondimba was arrested and detained, election results were canceled, and state institutions were dissolved; in September 2023, OLIGUI was sworn in as transitional president; a general election is planned for August 2025
Election results	2016: Ali BONGO Ondimba reelected president; percent of vote - Ali BONGO Ondimba (PDG) 49.8%, Jean PING (UFC) 48.2%, other 2.0% 2009: Ali BONGO Ondimba elected president; percent of vote - Ali BONGO Ondimba (PDG) 41.7%, Andre MBA OBAME (independent) 25.9%, Pierre MAMBOUNDOU (UPG) 25.2%, Zacharie MYBOTO (UGDD) 3.9%, other 3.3%
Legislative branch
Description	Transitional Parliament (formerly the bicameral Parliament) consists of: Senate (70 seats; members appointed by Transitional president; member term NA) National Assembly (98 seats; members appointed by the Transitional president; member term NA) note - all members represent legally recognized political parties or leading political figures, civil society, and defense and security forces
Elections	On 11 September 2023, Transitional President Gen. Brice OLIGUI Nguema appointed 168 members to the Transitional Parliament; elections for a permanent legislature reportedly to follow 2-year transition; note - the military government announced on 13 November 2023 that presidential and legislative elections will be held in August 2025
Election results	All members of the Transitional Parliament appointed by the Transitional president
Judicial branch
Highest court(s)	Supreme Court (consists of 4 permanent specialized supreme courts - Supreme Court or Cour de Cassation, Administrative Supreme Court or Conseil d'Etat, Accounting Supreme Court or Cour des Comptes, Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle, and the non-permanent Court of State Security, initiated only for cases of high treason by the president and criminal activity by executive branch officials)
Judge selection and term of office	Appointment and tenure of Supreme, Administrative, Accounting, and State Security courts NA; Constitutional Court judges appointed - 3 by the national president, 3 by the president of the Senate, and 3 by the president of the National Assembly; judges serve single renewable 7-year terms
Subordinate courts	Courts of Appeal; county courts; military courts
Diplomatic representation in the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador Noel Nelson MESSONE (12 December 2022)
Chancery	2034 20th Street NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20009
Telephone	[1] (202) 797-1000
FAX	[1] (301) 332-0668
Email address and website	[email protected] https://gabonembassyusa.org/en/
Consulate(s) general	New York
Diplomatic representation from the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador Vernelle Trim FITZPATRICK (since 26 January 2024); note - also accredited to Sao Tome and Principe
Embassy	Sabliere, B.P. 4000, Libreville
Mailing address	2270 Libreville Place, Washington, DC 20521-2270
Telephone	[241] 011-45-71-00
FAX	[241] 011-45-71-05
Email address and website	[email protected] https://ga.usembassy.gov/
National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites	2 (1 natural, 1 mixed)
Selected World Heritage Site locales	Ecosystem and Relict Cultural Landscape of Lopé-Okanda (m); Ivindo National Park (n)