The coffin of the late president Omar Bongo in Libreville, Gabon AFP/Getty Images
Bongo dynasty likely to continue
Published: 07 July, 2009
Uncertainty in Gabon following the death of long-time ally of France Omar Bongo is unlikely to threaten the cosy relationship between the country and its former colonial power, experts say.
The funeral of Gabonese president Omar Bongo, who has died in Spain of a heart attack, aged 73, was well-attended, with around 40 international dignitaries present. However, most eyes were focused on two men: the current and former presidents of France, Nicholas Sarkozy and Jacques Chirac. At his death, Mr Bongo was Africa’s longest-serving head of state, leading the West African country since 1967. Over the course of the past four decades, Mr Bongo presided over a period of relative stability that was characterised by close relations with the country’s former colonial power, France.
Under Mr Bongo, Gabon was a single-party state until 1990. The incumbent won three multi-party elections, in 1993, 1998 and 2005. He was heavily criticised in 2003 for increasing the presidential term from five to seven years and for removing term limits.
Mr Bongo’s death and the subsequent dispute over his succession has led to a public re-examination of the ageing relationship between France and its former colonies, known colloquially as Françafrique, that many believe was typified by the personal relationship that Mr Bongo had with a succession of French presidents. France has a large garrison of troops in the Gabonese capital of Libreville and the French oil company Total has been a major beneficiary of the country’s hydrocarbon reserves. In recent months, however, the president found himself facing a corruption investigation in France, focusing on properties he owned overseas, but the French authorities largely supported him during his reign. There was a certain irony to statements made by Mr Sarkozy on the sidelines of the funeral, denouncing perceived electoral fraud in Iran.
During Omar Bongo’s illness there was considerable speculation that his son, the 50-year old defence minister Ali-Ben Bongo, would assume his mantle. Following the president’s death, however, the succession has become less clear.
While it is unlikely that the ruling party, the Parti Démocratique Gabonais, will lose its grip on the system, other candidates to lead are certainly in the picture, including his eldest daughter Pascaline Bongo. Perhaps the most interesting potential contender is Jean Ping, the current chairman of the African Union Commission, a staunch ally of Mr Bongo senior and former husband of Pascaline Bongo. Mr Bongo’s son-in-law, the foreign minister Paul Toungui, and Didjob Divungi Di Ndinge, the current vice president, are also possible candidates.
Douglas Yates, Gabon expert and assistant professor of political science at the American University of Paris, is unsure as to whether Ping or Toungui are high up the list of contenders. “[Ping]’s got a lot of prestige, he’s recognised as someone competent, but it’s not clear that he could be president himself. He might very well side behind Pascaline,” says Mr Yates, who believes that there is a “more than 50 percent probability” that Ali-Ben Bongo will succeed his father. A further possibility is that any of the country’s surviving former prime ministers, who, as a result of a deal with Omar Bongo, have typically come from the country’s dominant Fang ethnicity, may step in. Such a candidate could attract a significant proportion of the electorate, but by and large any PDG candidate would keep the status quo.
