Court (Cour Supreme)

Leaders:
Chief of State--President El Hadj Omar BONGO (since 2 December 1967);

Head of Government--Prime Minister Leon MEBIAME (since 16 April 1975)

Political parties and leaders: only party--Gabonese Social
Democratic Rally (RSDG), El Hadj Omar Bongo, president; formerly
Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG), which was dissolved in February 1990

Suffrage: universal at age 21

Elections:
President--last held on 9 November 1986 (next to be held
November 1993);
results--President Omar BONGO was reelected without opposition;

National Assembly--last held on 17 February 1985 (next to be
held by February 1992);
results--PDG was the only party;
seats--(120 total, 111 elected) PDG 111

Communists: no organized party; probably some Communist sympathizers

Member of: ACP, AfDB, CCC, Conference of East and Central
African States, EAMA, EIB (associate), FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICCO, ICO, IDA, IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO,
IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPEC, UDEAC,
UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Jean Robert ODZAGA; Chancery
at 2034 20th Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 797-1000;
US--Ambassador Keith L. WAUCHOPE; Embassy at Boulevard de la Mer,
Libreville (mailing address is B. P. 4000, Libreville); telephone 762003
or 762004, 761337, 721348, 740248

Flag: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and blue

- Economy
Overview: The economy, dependent on timber and manganese until the early
1970s, is now dominated by the oil sector. During the period 1981-85 oil
accounted for about 46% of GDP, 83% of export earnings, and 65% of government
revenues on average. The high oil prices of the early 1980s contributed to a
substantial increase in per capita income, stimulated domestic demand,
reinforced migration from rural to urban areas, and raised the level of real
wages to among the highest in Sub-Saharan Africa. The three-year slide of
Gabon's economy, which began with falling oil prices in 1985, stabilized
in 1989 because of a near doubling of oil prices over their 1988 lows.
The agricultural and industrial sectors are relatively underdeveloped,
accounting for only 8% and 10%, respectively, of GDP in 1986.

GDP: $3.2 billion, per capita $3,200; real growth rate 0% (1989)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (1989)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget: revenues $927 million; expend