A Woman at the Helm in Gabon - For Now
The last time Gabon had to manage a political transition after the death of a president was in 1967 when then president and father of the country’s independence Leon Mba succumbed to a long illness.
Nadia Ahmadou, Junior Researcher – African Security Analysis Programme, ISS Pretoria
The last time Gabon had to manage a political transition after the
death of a president was in 1967 when then president and father of the
country’s independence Leon Mba succumbed to a long illness. Superbly
orchestrated by the Elysee Palace in Paris and executed by the very
influential and legendary presidential adviser Jacques Foccart, the
succession of Leon Mba was offered to a young and promising politician
whose most important quality at the time was his loyalty to France.
Promising prospects of oil exploitation led Paris to a tight control of
the “democratic stability” of the country in the Gulf of Guinea. It
wasn’t unusual at that time that France uses its leverage to control
the appointment of ministers and the “election” of presidents. Today, 42
years down the line, supporters of Bongo praise the political
stability and the economic prosperity of Gabon, whereas his opponents
point at the appalling discrepancies between rich and poor in a country
of just over 1,5 million inhabitants and with an impressive oil
wealth.
Times have changed since then. The dominant figure of Bongo is no
more and his succession is not the outcome of an arrangement between
French and African old men’s networks. Instead, the transition is
managed by a woman who, in deep contrast with the imperial style of her
predecessor, has managed to create an unexpected consensus around the
rules of the game for the presidential election due on Sunday, 30
August 2009. Unknown by the majority of her compatriots only 6 months
ago, interim President Mme. Rose Francine Rogombé has so far impressed
even the hardest opponents of Bongo who all agree on the fact that she
is an integrative figure and has the necessary authority to lead the
country at this very special juncture of its young history.
Nothing had predisposed Mme. Rogombé to serve at the highest state
level. With a background in law and theology, she appeared destined for a
career in the judicial sphere, with numerous positions as state
prosecutor, senator and state secretary for the promotion of women’s
and human rights over the years. Her ascension to the presidency of the
senate occurred in early 2009 and came as surprise to the political
elite of Gabon as she had no stakes and played no significant role in
the country’s political spheres. The significance of her ascension
appeared to be relegated solely to her success as the first woman in
Gabon to hold such prestigious positions.
The shock wave that hit the entire political class when President
Bongo died in a private hospital in Barcelona last June led many
commentators to speculations about a remake of the Togolese scenario,
where former president Gnassingbe Eyadema was succeeded by his sun
Faure Gnassingbe. In fact, allusions were made about a military backed
dynastic succession or a coup d’état to ensure the continuity of the
regime. According to the Gabonese constitution, the transition would
fall in the hands of the President of the Senate who would be
responsible for the organisation of elections that would determine
presidential succession. Preliminary analysis suggested that the
transition would operate in favour of the Bongo clan, as Mme. Rogombé
is a member of the ruling party, the PDG.
Looking at her role as transitional president, this analysis appears
to have been erroneous. Her achievements as a neutral, impartial and
just president adequately reflect the promises made in her investiture
speech, that of representing and reflecting the will of the Gabonese
people throughout her transition. A most compelling illustration of
this would be the decision to temporarily ‘retire’ Ali Ben Bongo, son
of the late president, from his ministerial portfolio in the wake of
upcoming presidential campaigning. Complaints had emerged regarding the
unfair access he had to information that would privilege his campaign,
to the detriment of the opposition. Being the chosen presidential
candidate for the party in power, in a country that has more often than
not favoured political actors from within government ranks,
expectations were that similar trends would continue, in total
contradiction to the required transparency of democratic processes.
Mme. Rogombé effectively attended to these concerns in a consensual
manner that appealed to all and is in favour of the desired
transparency required for free and fair elections. As she made clear in
her official statement in this regard, there is a need for all
presidential candidates to campaign on equal footing. For the first
time in the history of Gabon, the people have a chance to validate the
concept of democracy being ‘for the people, by the people’.
As we celebrate the women of Africa, we must recognise the important
roles female leadership play as exemplary figures in the politics of
the continent. This allows Africa to project itself towards a new
generation of leadership that is pioneering and innovative. A new trend
of democratisation can emerge in her wake, a trend that recognises the
importance of the quality of leadership as a key factor in the
consolidation of democracy on the continent. One only hopes that this
window of opportunity for positive change does not go adrift, but
rather contributes to opening up the space for more women to actively
participate in the development of enhanced futures for all.