Gabonese legislative election, 2006

Gabonese legislative election, 2006

17 December 2006

All 120 seats to the National Assembly 61 seats needed for a majority   First party Second party Third party   Party PDG RNB-RPG CLR Seats before 86 8 2 Seats won 82 8 2 Seat change 4 - -

Parliamentary elections were held in Gabon on 17 December 2006, although voting in seven seats took places on 24 December 2006 due to logistical problems. The ruling Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) won 82 seats, with other parties that supported President Omar Bongo winning another seventeen seats, among them the National Woodcutters' Rally of Paul M'ba Abessole with seven seats (M'ba Abessole himself lost his seat, being defeated by the prime minister, Jean Eyeghe Ndong),^[1] the Democratic and Republican Alliance with three seats, the Circle of Reformist Liberals with two seats and the Social Democratic Party with one seat.

Opposition parties won seventeen seats; the Union of the Gabonese People won eight seats, the Gabonese Union for Democracy and Development four, the Gabonese Progress Party two seats, the Congress for Democracy and Justice one seat, the African Forum for Reconstruction one seat and the National Woodcutters Rally-Kombila one seat.

Independents won four seats.^[2][3]

Results

Party	Votes	%	Seats	+/–
Gabonese Democratic Party			82	–4
National Woodcutters' Rally – Rally for Gabon^[a]			8	0
Union of the Gabonese People			8	+8
Gabonese Union for Democracy and Development			4	New
Democratic and Republican Alliance^[a]			3	0
Circle of Liberal Reformers^[a]			2	0
Gabonese Progress Party			2	–1
Social Democratic Party^[a]			2	+1
African Development Movement^[a]			1	0
African Forum for Reconstruction			1	+1
Congress for Democracy and Justice			1	0
National Woodcutters' Rally – Democratic			1	0
Rally of Republican Democrats^[a]			1	New
Independents			4	–8
Total			120	0
Source: African Elections Database

^a Parties supporting the PDG.

Aftermath

In 20 constituencies, the results were annulled by the Constitutional Court because of problems with fraud and logistics, and the election was held again in these constituencies on 10 June 2007. Turnout was reported to be low.^[4] The PDG won in 11 of these constituencies, with its allies winning a further six, the opposition winning two and an independent winning one.^[5]

References

1. "Media predicts waning popularity for Gabonese opposition leader", AngolaPress, December 20, 2006.
2. "Bongo's party wins Gabon election", BBC News, December 22, 2006.
3. "Proclamation officielle des résultats des élections législatives par la Cour constitutionnelle", InfoPlus Gabon. (French)
4. "Poll re-run draws few voters in Gabon", Reuters (IOL), June 11, 2007.
5. "Gabon's ruling party increases hold on power", AFP (IOL), June 14, 2007.