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| Africa Subsaharan |
| Gabon faces uncertain future after violence-marred Bongo vote |
| 2016-09-07 |
| [ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] After three days of violence and a corpse count which varies from more than 500 to the official count of seven, the Bongo family is cracking down on a popular uprising to maintain its grip over the little known country of Gabon. As many feared, the dynasty which ruled over the country for the last 50 years is crushing the hopes of a population just a few hours after democratic elections whose results were swiftly dressed up. In particular, the final vote count from the Haut Ogoue province, the historical fiefdom of Ali Bongo, were provided several hours late and eventually revealed a population size vastly increased overnight, from official record down to the Wikipedia page. In that specific region, the ballot result communicated by the Bongo presidency showed a participation of 99.93 percent (40 percent above the national average) with 95 percent votes casted for the reelection of Ali Bongo, just enough to ensure him victory by less than 6000 votes. Gabon is the archetype of post-colonial African countries fallen off the media radar despite the regular abuse of its population and endemic corruption. It could serve as a symbol of how a rich endowment in natural resources is being diverted by the very few for their personal staggering wealth while regular citizens struggle every day to make ends meet. Despite a well-educated population ‐ illiteracy is below 3 percent ‐ and the third largest hydrocarbon resources in sub-Saharan Africa, Gabon’s economic growth has been hampered by nepotism and inefficiency. The richest 20 percent of the population earn over 90 percent of the income while about a third of the Gabonese population lives in poverty. |
| Posted by:Fred |