For over four decades, Omar Bongo sat at the helm of Gabon, making him Africa's longest-ruling head of state by the time of his death in 2009. His passing immediately stirred controversy, as his son, Ali Bongo, was positioned to take control of the ruling political party and contest the constitutionally mandated election that followed.
Ali Bongo Takes Power
Out of a field of 18 candidates vying for the presidency, Ali Bongo came out on top and was inaugurated as Gabon's third president on October 16, 2009. His victory, however, was far from smooth — it triggered weeks of riots and widespread unrest. Even amid the turmoil, he struck deals with other powers to consolidate his rule. Various Gabonese rulers also seized power on the basis of claimed wins, but in the end, Ali Bongo prevailed as the sole leader.
A History of The Bongos
Having had only three presidents across its 65-plus-year history as an independent nation, Gabon's story is inseparable from the Bongo family. When the country's first president died in 1967, Omar Bongo — then serving as Vice President — stepped into power. From that point on, a Bongo has governed Gabon with the exception of just 163 days. That roughly 6-month gap between the two Bongo rulers marks a dividing line between an autocratic Gabon and the progressive nation that would eventually join the British-dominated Commonwealth of Nations.
Omar Bongo's Legacy
Long before Omar Bongo rose to lead a powerful political party, he governed as nothing short of a dictator whose humanitarian record was deeply troubling. By exploiting Gabon's natural resources — oil and timber chief among them — he amassed a fortune that placed him among the richest men in the world. Precious little of that wealth ever reached the Gabonese people, a reality the world came to understand throughout the 70s and 80s. The vast majority of the population lived far below the poverty line, while Bongo kept enriching himself through oil deals, effectively selling Gabon's oil to line his own pockets.
Even as death approached, the elder Bongo refused to let the world know he was ill, though word inevitably leaked out. Defiant until the very end, he clung to power with his dying breath.