AFRICA - House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats

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ation by President Bongo in 1968, and political choice has remained limited in practice
despite the legalization of opposition parties in 1990.
The country is dominated by a strong Presidency. The President can veto legislation,
dissolve the national legislature, call new elections, and issue decrees while the
legislature is not in session that have the force of law. The legislature generally has
approved legislation presented to it by the President but on occasion has not done
so. The President appoints and can dismiss judges through the Ministry of Justice,
to which the judiciary is responsible. The President appoints ministers of government,
provincial governors, prefects and subprefects, and the heads of parastatal
firms.
President Bongo, who has been President since 1967, was reelected for another
7-year term in a December 1998 election marred by irregularities that generally favored
his incumbency, including incomplete and inaccurate electoral lists and the
use of false documents to cast multiple votes.
Elections for the National Assembly, the lower house of the bicameral legislature,
are held every 5 years. The December 2001 National Assembly elections were
marred by numerous irregularities, including the boycotting of the first round by
nine opposition parties. International observers reported that the elections were
marked by organizational flaws and ‘‘insufficient and dysfunctional’’ application of
the electoral law. The Constitutional Court in April annulled the election results in
12 districts, citing candidates or their representatives for stuffing ballot boxes, falsifying
results documents, and bribing or threatening voters. In May legislative byelections
were held to fill the affected seats, which resulted in the PDG and allied
parties holding 107 and the opposition holding 13 seats in the National Assembly.
The ability of citizens to choose their subnational governments remained limited
in practice. Among subnational officials, provincial governors, prefects, and subprefects
are officers of the central government responsible to the President. Mayors and
municipal councils were elected; however, municipal governments have limited financial
autonomy and depend heavily on funding from the central government.
After three delays prompted primarily by the Government’s lack of funds, countrywide
municipal elections were held in December. Though the ruling PDG party won
some 85 percent of all seats, the level of voter abstention was extreme, reaching 100
percent in some precincts.
The Senate, the upper house of the bicameral national legislature, was created
in 1996, with first elections for Senators in 1997. Municipal and regional government
officials elect all 91 senators, who serve 6-year terms. The next senatorial elections
were scheduled for February 2003.
Major opposition parties included the National Lumberjack Assembly-Gabonese
People’s Assembly (RNB-RPG) and the Gabonese Progressive Party (PGP). The
RNB-RPG’s political base was in the northern province of Woleu-Ntem inhabited
chiefly by members of the Fang ethnic group, and in Libreville neighborhoods with
many Fang residents, although the party attracted some support from other regions
and ethnic groups. The PGP enjoyed strong support in Port Gentil, the center of the
country’s petroleum industry, and among the Myene ethnic group. Ideological splits
and rivalries limited the effectiveness of the PGP.
There were no restrictions on the participation of women and minorities in politics.
At year’s end, 11 of 120 members of the National Assembly, 12 of 91 senators,
and 5 of 43 government ministers were women. Indigenous Pygmies rarely participate
in the political process, and the Government has made only limited efforts to
include them (see Section 5).
Section 4. Governmental Attitude Regarding International and Nongovernmental Investigation
of Alleged Violations of Human Rights
The Government officially allowed the existence of independent human rights
groups, and the few that are active advocate mostly on behalf of women, children,
persons with disabilities, and the homeless. In January the Government created a
Ministry of Human Rights and appointed an opposition leader as minister of state
to head it.
Section 5. Discrimination Based on Race, Sex, Disability, Language, or Social Status
The Constitution forbids discrimination based on national origin, race, gender, or
opinion; however, the Government did not enforce these constitutional provisions
uniformly, and there was considerable discrimination against women, especially in
domestic affairs. The Government also has provided a lower level of health care and
educational services to children of families of other African nationalities than it provided
to citizens.
Women.—Domestic violence against women was believed to be common, especially
in rural areas; however, there were few reports during the year. Although rape is
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