Timeline of Gabon

By sk111592
  • Jan 1, 1470

    Portuguese Arrive

    Portuguese Arrive
    Portuguese arrive in what is now Gabon.

  • French Control

    French Control
    Local Mpongwe ruler signs away sovereignty to the French.

  • Gabon Goes French

    Gabon Goes French
    Gabon becomes part of French Equatorial Africa.

  • Gabon Wants Independence

    Gabon Wants Independence
    Gabon votes to become autonomous republic in the French Community.

  • Gabon Gets Independence

    Gabon Gets Independence
    Gabon becomes independent.

  • New President

    New President
    Leon Mba elected president.

  • Mba's Death

    Mba's Death
    Omar Bongo becomes president after Mba dies.

  • Oppposition to the Government

    Oppposition to the Government
    Opposition parties legalised, accuse the government of fraud in parliamentary elections held in September and October.

  • Constituition

    Constituition
    Parliament adopts a new constitution that formalises the multi-party system.

  • Bongo Stays President

    Bongo Stays President
    Omar Bongo narrowly wins presidential election, the first held under the new multi-party constitution; opposition accuses government of electoral fraud.

  • Bongo Re-elected Again

    Bongo Re-elected Again
    Bongo re-elected to a seven-year term.

  • Constitution Amended

    Constitution Amended
    Constitution changed to allow President Bongo to run for president as many times as he wishes.

  • Omar Re-elected Once Again

    Omar Re-elected Once Again
    Omar Bongo is re-elected as president. Opposition supporters clash with police in the capital.

  • Gabon talks with Equatorial Guinea on Land-Oil Agreement

    Gabon talks with Equatorial Guinea on Land-Oil Agreement
    Gabon and Equatorial Guinea agree to start talks over disputed islands in potentially oil-rich waters in the Gulf of Guinea.

  • Bongo Win's Parliamentary Elections

    Bongo Win's Parliamentary Elections
    President Bongo's party wins parliamentary elections comfortably amid opposition accusations of fraud.

  • Government Ban

    Government Ban
    Government temporarily bans 20 non-governmental organisations for alleged interference in politics.

  • French Freeze Bongo

    French Freeze Bongo
    French court freezes President Omar Bongo's bank accounts in the country after he was ordered to return a payment made to him to release a jailed French businessman, Rene Cardona.

  • Bongo Dies

    Bongo Dies
    President Omar Bongo dies while undergoing treatment at a clinic in Spain.

  • Presidential Election

    Presidential Election
    Ali Ben Bongo, son of the late president, is declared winner. Critics say the poll was fixed to ensure a dynastic succession, and opposition supporters clash with security forces.