Economy / Gabon
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An Uncertain Future
November 2007 | Ratings UpdateSorry, you must be a subscriber to view this article in full. If you are a subscriber please login.
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President Omar Bongo has ruled since 1967, making him Africa's longest serving leader. Aged 72, he appears to be in robust health, although details of his personal life and well-being are rarely disclosed. Re-elected in December 2006, Bongo's current term runs through 2012, and as limits on presidential terms were abolished in 2003, provided he remains capable, there is no end in sight to his control. While Bongo's somewhat tarnished democratic credentials have been tolerated in the interests of stability, particularly by France, which has a sizeable military base in the country, Gabon is ill-prepared for life after Bongo. The