"Times"" reported that: Peru is investigating claims that a beauty pageant contestant was lured to Gabon to become the lover of its 67-year-old president, Omar Bongo, and was stranded for nearly two weeks after she refused. A spokesman for Mr. Bongo said he was unaware of the allegations. The Peruvian Foreign Ministry said that Ivette Santa Maria, a 22-year-old Miss Peru America contestant, was invited to Gabon to be a hostess for a pageant there. In an interview, Ms. Santa Maria said that she was taken to Mr. Bongo's presidential palace hours after her Jan. 19 arrival and that as"
"presidential election. He was re-elected in August 2016, in elections marred by numerous irregularities, arrests, human rights violations and post-election violence. Bongo is also President of the PDG. Ali Bongo was born Alain Bernard Bongo in Brazzaville, as the son of Albert-Bernard Bongo (later Omar Bongo Ondimba) and Josephine Kama (later Patience Dabany). His mother was 15 years old at the time of his birth. Being conceived 18 months before Albert-Bernard's marriage, he is widely rumoured to be Bongo's adopted son, a claim that he dismisses. After studying law, he entered politics, joining the PDG in 1981; he was elected"
"elections saw some isolated protests, but no significant disturbances. Omar Bongo's son, ruling party leader Ali Bongo Ondimba, was formally declared the winner after a 3-week review by the Constitutional Court; his inauguration took place on October 16, 2009. The court's review had been prompted by claims of fraud by the many opposition candidates, with the initial announcement of election results sparking unprecedented violent protests in Port-Gentil, the country's second-largest city and a long-time bastion of opposition to PDG rule. The citizens of Port-Gentil took to the streets, and numerous shops and residences were burned, including the French Consulate and"
"the large number of candidates, three of them were considered the key contenders for the Presidency; Ali Bongo Ondimba, the son of Omar Bongo, who was the candidate of the long-ruling Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG); Pierre Mamboundou, a radical opposition leader who was backed by a coalition of parties; and André Mba Obame, a former PDG member who ran as an independent and won the backing of several other candidates. According to official results announced on 3 September 2009, Bongo won the elections with a plurality of 41.7% of the vote, while Mba Obame and Mamboundou both trailed with about"
"that he was a Nigerian by birth; because Bongo was born outside of Gabon (in Brazzaville), he would be ineligible for the Presidency if he were not born to Gabonese parents. On 18 September, Assélé reacted furiously to Bengone Nsi's claim and announced plans to sue him over the matter—""To say ... that my nephew is of Nigerian origin is pure defamation""—while vouching for the accuracy of the official version of Bongo's birth: ""I affirm that Mr. Ali Bongo Ondimba was born in Brazzaville to father Albert-Bernard Bongo and mother Kama Joséphine in 1959."" In early 2010, the CLR under"
"This was believed to be part of Rogombé's apparent policy of preserving the political, ethnic, and regional balance of state institutions crafted by Bongo during her interim presidency. Divungi Di Ndinge said on 21 July that he would not be a candidate in the 30 August 2009 presidential election. At its Fourth Extraordinary Congress, ADERE declined to endorse any candidate, with Divungi Di Ndinge calling on party activists to vote according to their conscience at the conclusion of the congress on 2 August 2009. After Bongo's son, Ali Bongo Ondimba, won the presidential election and took office on 16 October"
"another vote for the position of Fourth Vice-President on 15 September 2009, and Assélé was again elected to the post, receiving 80% of the vote. Assélé accepted the post on that occasion, despite his refusal earlier in the year. Bongo won the presidential election with about 42% of the vote, according to official results, but the opposition alleged fraud and appealed to the Constitutional Court in September 2009. One of the minor opposition candidates, Luc Bengone Nsi of MORENA, filed an appeal based on an accusation that Ali Bongo was an adoptive rather than natural son of Omar Bongo and"
"election, although he was subsequently reduced to the rank of ordinary Minister on 28 December 2007. At the PDG's Ninth Ordinary Congress in September 2008, he was re-elected as a Vice-President of the PDG. Omar Bongo died at a Spanish hospital on 8 June 2009. Ali Bongo appeared on television that night to call ""for calm and serenity of heart and reverence to preserve the unity and peace so dear to our late father"". Having been appointed to key positions by his father, it was widely considered likely that he would emerge as his father's successor following the latter's death"
"2009. Bongo's son, Ali Bongo, was then designated as the PDG candidate for the 30 August 2009 presidential election. Some leading PDG figures objected to Bongo's nomination and left the party; while Adiahénot did not quit the PDG, he also made no efforts to assist Bongo's presidential campaign. After Bongo won the election, Adiahénot was dismissed from the government on 17 October 2009. Having seen his influence within the PDG markedly reduced by Omar Bongo's death and Ali Bongo's election, Adiahénot then took up his seat in the National Assembly, representing the Fourth ""Arrondissement"" of Libreville. Adiahénot, who had led"
"and Bongo was re-elected again in 2005 with 79% of the vote. The 2006 parliamentary elections saw the PDG reduced to 82 seats, although it comfortably retained its majority and affiliated parties won a further 17 seats. Bongo died in 2009, and his son Ali Bongo Ondimba became PDG leader. He won presidential elections later in the year with 42% of the vote. The BDG won 113 seats in the 2011 parliamentary elections, which were boycotted by most of the opposition. On 17–21 September 1986, the PDG held its Third Ordinary Congress in Libreville; at the congress, it designated Bongo"
"Observation Mission present in the country declared that observers had incurred problems accessing the process of vote counting. The right to demonstrate or express oneself was described by the mission as 'restrictive'. The electoral regulations benefitted President Bongo, according to the Mission's report. The president is elected by popular vote for a seven-year term. He appoints the prime minister. The Council of Ministers is appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the president. President El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba, in power since 1967 and the longest-serving African head of state, was re-elected to another seven-year term according to poll"
"in a bloodless coup on 18 February 1964. French troops re-established his government the next day. Elections were held in April 1964 with many opposition participants. BDG-supported candidates won 31 seats and the opposition 16. Late in 1966, the constitution was revised to provide for automatic succession of the vice president should the president die in office. In March 1967, Leon M'Ba and Omar Bongo (then known as Albert Bongo) were elected President and Vice President, with the BDG winning all 47 seats in the National Assembly. M'Ba died later that year, and Omar Bongo became president. In March 1968"
"in the third ""arrondissement"" of Libreville. Gondjout served as Foreign Minister for eight months. In the government appointed on 7 October 2008, she was moved back to her old position as Minister of Communication, Posts, Telecommunications, and New Information Technologies; she was succeeded as Foreign Minister by Paul Toungui on 9 October. Shortly after the death of President Omar Bongo at a Spanish hospital on 8 June 2009, Gondjout said that the constitution and the institutions of the Republic would be respected. Gondjout subsequently supported Bongo's son, Ali Bongo Ondimba, when he ran to succeed his father as President in"
"address Robert Bourgi as an intermediary. In 2009, Bourgi, on behalf of the French government, supported the presidential election of Ali Bongo Ondimba, son of former President Omar Bongo. French development aid in Africa is based on two organizations: the AFD (French Development Agency) which handles government-to-government funding, and PROPARCO (Promotion and Participation for Economic Cooperation, a subsidiary of the AFD) which funds the private sector in developing countries. The ""Françafrique"" policy came under the spotlight once more after the January 2010 attacks on Togo's national football team. France has been accused of meddling in Angolan affairs by backing of"
"in June 2009 and his son Ali Bongo took office as President in October 2009, after winning a disputed presidential election. As President, Ali Bongo dismissed Ratanga from the government on 17 October and then appointed him as Chairman of the Board of SOGARA on 19 October 2009. That move was part of a major reshuffling of the state administration. At SOGARA, he and Director-General Reteno Ndiaye were faced with the task of improving the company's very difficult financial situation. Ratanga and Ndiaye met with Julien Nkoghe Bekale, the Minister of Oil, on 29 October 2009 to discuss their plan"
"in the 30 August 2009 presidential election and placed third with 25.33% of the vote, according to official results, but he claimed victory and alleged that the PDG candidate, Ali Bongo, won through fraud. Mba Obame was born in Medouneu, located in northern Gabon. He was President Omar Bongo's Deputy Adviser for African and International Affairs from 1984 to 1986 and then Adviser to the President for Development and Public and Productive Investments before being appointed to the government as Minister of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and the Rural Economy in April 1990. Subsequently he was moved to the post of"
"the work of the congress. Nzouba-Ndama met with Wu Bangguo, the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China, on 7 November 2008 to discuss cooperation. Following Omar Bongo's death in June 2009, Nzouba-Ndama was considered a supporter of Bongo's son Ali in the latter's efforts to obtain the PDG nomination for the August 2009 presidential election. Ali Bongo won the nomination and then prevailed in the presidential election, according to official results. When Bongo was sworn in as President on 16 October 2009, Nzouba-Ndama said that he faced a ""Herculean"" task:"
"President Bongo died in June 2009. After Bongo's son, Ali Bongo Ondimba, won the 30 August 2009 presidential election, Naki was removed from her post as Deputy Prime Minister and instead appointed as High Representative in charge of the Mandji Island Free Zone, a post at the Presidency of the Republic, on 17 October 2009. Dossou Naki is married to Samuel Dossou-Aworet, who was born in Cotonou but later became a naturalized citizen of Gabon and held various high-ranking positions; he was Omar Bongo's oil adviser for a time. After marriage, she continued to use her maiden name of Naki,"
"of Decentralization and Urban Policy. Bongo died in June 2009. After Bongo's son, Ali Bongo Ondimba, won the 30 August 2009 presidential election, he dismissed Onouviet from the government on 17 October 2009. The dismissal of Onouviet, who had remained loyal to Ali Bongo during the election period, was part of a major reworking of the state administration, in which many prominent ministers and officials were replaced. Onouviet then returned to his seat in the National Assembly, representing Lambaréné. On 16 January 2010, he donated a dump truck to Lambaréné in order to facilitate the city's sanitation efforts. On that"
"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%. 2005 Gabonese presidential election Presidential elections were held in Gabon on 27 November 2005. Incumbent President Omar Bongo, in power since 1967 (making him Africa's longest-serving ruler), sought another seven-year term"
"1963, and there was a single-day bloodless coup in 1964. In March 1967, Leon M'Ba and Omar Bongo were elected president and vice president. M'Ba died later that year. Bongo declared Gabon a one-party state, dissolved the BDG and established the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG). Sweeping political reforms in 1990 led to a new constitution, and the PDG garnered a large majority in the country's first multi-party elections in 30 years. Despite discontent from opposition parties, Bongo remained president until his death in 2009. Gabon was settled from the 14th century by Bantu peoples. Little is known of tribal life"
"by Ndongou were promptly confirmed by the Constitutional Court on 4 September and Bongo was designated as President-elect with 41.73% of the vote. Turnout was officially placed at 44.24%. Only Bongo, Mba Obame, and Mamboundou won significant shares of the vote; with the exception of Zacharie Myboto, who placed fourth with 3.94%, all of the other candidates received less than 1% each. On 4 September, 17 candidates—every candidate except Ali Bongo—presented a united front by issuing a joint statement denouncing the election results. The Constitutional Court announced the results of the recount on 12 October 2009. It again declared Ali"
"Patience Dabany. They had a son, Alain Bernard Bongo, and a daughter, Albertine Amissa Bongo. Born at Brazzaville in 1959, Alain Bernard Bongo (later known as Ali-Ben Bongo) served as Foreign Minister from 1989 to 1992, then as Defence Minister from 1999 to 2009, and was then elected President in August 2009 to replace his father. Bongo then married Edith Lucie Sassou-Nguesso, nearly 30 years his junior, in 1989. She was the daughter of Congolese President Denis Sassou-Nguesso. She was a trained pediatrician, known for her commitment to fighting AIDS. She bore Bongo two children. Edith Lucie Bongo died on"
"research using information available outside of Sudan. Sudan furiously denounced the team, and Tonda returned to Geneva during the team's futile wait for visas. He nevertheless remained part of the team. Tonda was appointed to the government of Gabon as Minister of Lodgings, Housing, and Urban Planning on 28 December 2007. He was then moved to the position of Minister of Trade and Industrial Development, in charge of NEPAD, on 7 October 2008. Bongo died in June 2009. After Bongo's son, Ali Bongo Ondimba, won the 30 August 2009 presidential election, Tonda was dismissed from the government on 17 October"
"Bureau of the Senate. Because the CLR leadership had already agreed that Assélé would not accept any post in the Bureau of the Senate below that of Third Vice-President, Assélé sent a letter to Senate President Rose Francine Rogombé on 17 February, notifying her that he declined the post of the Fourth Vice-President. After more than 41 years in power, Omar Bongo died on 8 June 2009. Assélé then urged the parties of the Presidential Majority to unite behind a single candidate for the August 2009 presidential election. The PDG selected Ali Bongo as its candidate; as Ali was a"
"appointments without the approval of the UGDD, and they were immediately expelled from the party on 15 January. Deriding the appointments, the UGDD expressed doubt that Koko would give Boundoukou-Latha any meaningful responsibility. On 25 July 2009, following the death of President Omar Bongo in June 2009, Boundoukou-Latha announced his support for the candidate of the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG), Ali Bongo, in the 30 August 2009 presidential election. Bongo won the election, and after taking office as President he moved Boundoukou-Latha to the position of Minister-Delegate under the Minister of the Economy, Trade, Industry, and Tourism on 17 October"
"from 2006 to 2009 and as Minister of Hydraulic Resources and New Energies in 2009. Following Bongo's death, he rejoined the opposition in mid-2009. Kombila was born in Lac Anengué, near Port-Gentil, and studied medicine in France, becoming a cardiologist; he was also a member of the Federation of Black African Students in France. After graduating, Kombila declined job opportunities in Europe and chose to return home to Gabon in 1977; he was personally congratulated by President Omar Bongo on 6 September 1977. In 1978, he founded the cardiology department at the Central Hospital of Libreville. Kombila, an internationally respected"
"the PDG's nomination of Bongo's son Ali-Ben Bongo as its candidate). When asked what distinguished him from other opposition candidates, Myboto said that, by resigning from the government in 2001, he demonstrated that he ""had the courage to say no to the late President Bongo""; he also stressed that he had acquired ""long experience in people management and the management of public affairs"" through his work as a minister in the government. According to official results, Myboto placed fourth in the 2009 election with 3.94% of the vote, far behind the top three candidates; Ali Bongo won the election with"
"2009 Bongo's son Ali Bongo Ondimba was chosen as the PDG candidate instead. Having failed to obtain the nomination, Oyé-Mba announced that he would instead run as an independent presidential candidate on 21 July; he questioned the circumstances of Bongo's selection and said that he wanted to be ""the true candidate of consensus"". He was then excluded from the government that was appointed on 22 July 2009, after 19 years of continuous service. The Patriotic United Forces (FPU), an opposition group, announced on 29 July 2009 that it was supporting Oyé-Mba's candidacy. It described him as a ""man of integrity,"
"François Engongah Owono François Engongah Owono (born 17 July 1945) is a Gabonese politician. He was long identified with the reformist faction of the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) during the rule of President Omar Bongo, holding various important posts. After serving in the government of Gabon as Minister of National Education from 2004 to 2006, he was President of the National Council of Communication from 2006 to 2009 and then Minister of State for Labor in 2009. Under Bongo's son and successor, Ali Bongo, Engongah Owono held the key post of Secretary-General of the Presidency from October 2009 to January"
"the government were dismissed, although some ministers were moved to different portfolios. Eyeghé Ndong sought the PDG nomination for the early presidential election, but the PDG leadership instead selected Defense Minister Ali-Ben Bongo (Omar Bongo's son) as the party's presidential candidate. He then resigned as Prime Minister on 17 July 2009 and announced he was running as an independent candidate; Rogombé appointed Paul Biyoghé Mba to succeed him on the same day. Eyeghe Ndong said that he made his decision because there had not truly been a consensus in favor of Bongo, and that therefore the proper internal party procedure"
"and a friend of the family of Georges Rawiri, a prominent politician who became President of the Senate before his death in 2006. As President of the Senate, Rogombé was the constitutionally designated successor to the Presidency of the Republic in the event of a vacancy in the latter office; if this occurred, she was to serve only in an interim capacity prior to the holding of a new presidential election, in which she would not be allowed to run. Following the death of President Omar Bongo on 8 June 2009, the Constitutional Court designated Rogombé as interim President on"
"however with the loss of its control over French Algeria it came to rely heavily on Gabon for its oil needs. In February 1964 French troops helped to overthrow the Gabonese regime during the 1964 Gabon coup d'état and French citizens spread rumors of American involvement in the coup which led to the 1964 United States Embassy in Libreville bombings. Omar Bongo ruled Gabon from 1967 until his death in 2009 and allowed extensive French military, political and economic involvement between Gabon and its former colonial master. Elf, the French national oil company, had extensive business dealings with Bongo's regime"