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Senate of Gabon

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Omar Bongo Ondimba Palace

The Senate (Sénat) is the upper house of the Parliament of Gabon. It has 67 members, elected in single-seat constituencies by local and départemental councillors (52 seats) or appointed by the president (15 seats) for a six-year term.[1] Beginning with the 2009 election, some constituencies elect two senators.

The status of the Parliament is unclear following the coup d'état four days after the 2023 general election.[2]

History

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The 1991 Constitution provided for the establishment of the Senate; previously the legislature had consisted of a unicameral National Assembly. The creation of Senate was approved on 18 March 1994.[3] The Senate was not created until 1997, when an election was held to fill the seats in the upper house.[4]

The first Senate president was Georges Rawiri (1932-2006), a long-time national political figure and close ally of Omar Bongo. He served in this position until his death in 2006.

He was replaced by René Radembino Coniquet, also a member of the Myéné ethnic group.

A Senate election was held on 18 January 2009. The ruling Gabonese Democratic Party won a large majority of seats.[5] On this occasion, the number of senators was increased from 91 to 102. Following the election, Rose Francine Rogombé was elected as President of the Senate.

Elections

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Party Seats
1997 2003 2009 2014
Gabonese Democratic Party 52 67 75 81
National Woodcutters' Rally – Rally for Gabon 19 8 6 0
Gabonese Progress Party 4 1 0 0
Democratic and Republican Alliance 3 3 1 1
Social Democratic Party 0 1 2 2
People's Unity Party 1 0
Union of the Gabonese People 1 1 2 1
Gabon of the Future 1 0 0
Common Movement for Development 1
Circle of Liberal Reformers 1 4 2 7
Rally for Democracy and Progress 1 1
Independent Centre Party of Gabon 0 1 2 1
Gabonese Union for Democracy and Development 3
Independents 8 3 9 7
Total 91 91 102 100
Source: DSG (1997, 2002), IPU (2009), IPU (2014)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Gabon: Freedom in the World 2022. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
  2. ^ Beaumont, Peter (2023-08-30). "Gabon military officers declare coup after Ali Bongo wins disputed election". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  3. ^ "Histoire - Sénat - République Gabonaise". 3 January 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-01-03.
  4. ^ David E. Gardinier and Douglas A. Yates, Historical Dictionary of Gabon (third edition, 2006), Scarecrow Press, page 65.
  5. ^ "Gabon: Elections sénatoriales 2009: le PDG en tête des résultats"[permanent dead link], Gabonews, 19 January 2009 (in French).
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