[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 821 Introduced in House (IH)]

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114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 821

Urging the Government of Gabon to respect democratic principles during 
                the August 2016 presidential elections.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 12, 2016

  Mr. Smith of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. Engel, Mr. Royce, and Mr. 
 Meeks) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Urging the Government of Gabon to respect democratic principles during 
                the August 2016 presidential elections.

Whereas the United States has deep interests in the political freedom, 
        democratic stability, and regional leadership of Gabon;
Whereas Gabon boasts a per capita income four times that of most sub-Saharan 
        African nations, but because of high income inequality, a large 
        proportion of the population remains poor;
Whereas despite constrained political conditions, Gabon's small population, 
        abundant natural resources, and considerable foreign support have helped 
        make it one of the more stable African countries;
Whereas Gabon gained independence from France in 1960 and Omar Bongo Ondimba 
        became president in 1967, solidifying the Gabonese Democratic Party 
        (PDG) dominance of power ever since;
Whereas Gabon adopted a constitution in 1991 that formalized a multiparty system 
        and imposed a two-term presidential term limit;
Whereas the constitution was amended to remove presidential term limits in 2003;
Whereas President Omar Bongo Ondima died in June 2009 after more than 40 years 
        in power, making him one of Africa's longest serving heads of state;
Whereas following the death of President Omar Bongo Ondima, elections were 
        hastily organized in August 2009 in which the son of the former 
        president, Ali Bongo Ondimba, was elected with 41 percent of the vote;
Whereas the legitimacy of the 2009 election results was largely disputed by 
        opposition parties and civil society, and greatly increased political 
        tensions in the country since;
Whereas the Department of State reported that the 2009 elections were plagued 
        with instances of destructive demonstrations, human rights abuses, 
        irregularities of voter registration lists, improperly guarded polls, 
        unfair censorship of news coverage, and post-election violence;
Whereas Gabon is scheduled to hold presidential elections in August 2016;
Whereas a free and fair election in Gabon holds regional significance as an 
        example for other African countries that have elections scheduled in the 
        near future;
Whereas the citizens of Gabon have demonstrated their support for the democratic 
        process and have actively participated in political parties and 
        elections;
Whereas tensions in Gabon are growing from grievances about the legal framework 
        of elections, including respect of the constitution and current laws, 
        independence of institutions within the electoral system, terms limits, 
        and the lack of representation of civil society on election management 
        bodies;
Whereas since the 2009 presidential election, some political demonstrations have 
        been met with tension and violence, which have only been exacerbated by 
        the lack of equal access to public and private media by opposition 
        parties and civil society organizations;
Whereas certain innovative institutions in Gabon, such as the National Council 
        for Democracy (CND) and the office of the Mediator of the Republic, can 
        potentially play a positive role in fostering citizen participation in 
        elections and advance democratic principles; and
Whereas there is concern for misconduct in the upcoming elections, including the 
        mishandling of voter registration, creating barriers to election day 
        polling, and the integrity of the election results: Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) calls on the Gabonese Government to--
                    (A) hold orderly, peaceful, free, and fair 
                presidential elections in August 2016 in order to 
                ensure stability and long-term growth of Gabon;
                    (B) guarantee fair and open participation of 
                opposition parties; and
                    (C) guarantee the freedom of speech and assembly of 
                all Gabonese citizens;
            (2) encourages continued efforts toward the consolidation 
        of democracy through increased dialogue and concrete actions to 
        address constitutional and legal framework of electoral systems 
        and supports Gabonese organizations that work to further 
        strengthen democratic processes;
            (3) calls on the citizens of Gabon to fully and peacefully 
        participate in the presidential elections; and
            (4) calls on the United States and other international 
        partners, especially electoral focused nongovernmental 
        organizations, to help create an environment which facilitates 
        open communication, guarantees free and fair elections, 
        encourages voter participation, and fosters a robust civil 
        society.
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