Commends the mediation efforts of the government of the Gabonese Republic in Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (Kinshasa), and Cote d'Ivoire.
Calls on the Gabonese government to: (1) hold free presidential elections in November 2005; (2) guarantee full participation of opposition parties in the upcoming elections; and (3) guarantee all Gabonese citizens the freedom of speech and the freedom of assembly.
Calls on the government of the United States and the international community to support the institutionalization of democratic processes and the establishment of conditions for good governance in Gabon and the sub-region.
[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 554 Introduced in House (IH)]
109th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 554
Urging the Government of the Gabonese Republic to hold orderly,
peaceful, and free and fair presidential elections in November 2005.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 15, 2005
Mr. Payne (for himself and Mr. Wynn) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International
Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Urging the Government of the Gabonese Republic to hold orderly,
peaceful, and free and fair presidential elections in November 2005.
Whereas the Gabonese Republic is a heavily forested and oil-rich country on the
west coast of Central Africa, which produces nearly 270,000 barrels of
oil per day;
Whereas Gabon gained independence from France in 1960, was subject to single-
party rule until 1990, and has demonstrated its support for the
democratic process through the formation of numerous political parties
since 1990 and the strong participation of its people in prior
elections;
Whereas Gabon is scheduled to hold national elections in November 2005 for the
purpose of electing a President;
Whereas the Government of Gabon is a signatory to the ``Paris Accords'' of 1994,
approved by national referendum in July 1995, which provides for a state
of law guaranteeing basic individual freedoms and the organization of
free and fair elections under an independent national election
commission;
Whereas Gabon has enjoyed a strong relationship with the United States, as
demonstrated by Secretary of State Colin Powell's historic visit to
Gabon in September 2002, the President of Gabon's visit to the White
House in May 2004, and cooperative business and trade relations between
the two countries;
Whereas the Department of State's 2005 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
states with respect to Gabon that the last presidential election in
1998, the legislative elections in 2001, and the senatorial elections in
2003 were marred with serious administrative problems and
irregularities, including incomplete and inaccurate electoral lists and
the use of false documents to cast multiple votes;
Whereas in July 2003, the Gabonese Constitution was amended to remove any
references to presidential term limits;
Whereas the President of Gabon has been the leader of that country since 1967
and is the longest serving leader on the continent of Africa;
Whereas the judiciary of Gabon is widely viewed to be inefficient and subject to
government influence;
Whereas the President of the National Electoral Commission in Gabon issued a
decree that permits the military to vote in their barracks on November
25 and the general population to vote on November 27, 2005;
Whereas this decree potentially raises the possibility that, in the absence of
proper safeguards, military personnel might vote more than once and that
other voting irregularities might occur since military barracks are not
generally open to public observation;
Whereas the Gabonese Minister of Immigration threatened to invalidate the
passports of members of opposition political parties seeking to travel
outside of Gabon in response to their alleged criticism of the President
of Gabon overseas, which can only be viewed as a threat to the freedoms
of speech and of assembly;
Whereas, according to press reports, in some locales, electoral lists have not
been posted, and in others, voter registries may have been inflated; and
Whereas it is in the interest of the United States to promote political and
economic freedom in Africa and throughout the world: Now, therefore, be
it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes and commends the mediation efforts of the
Government of the Gabonese Republic in Angola, Burundi, the
Central African Republic, Chad, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo
(Kinshasa), and Cote d'Ivoire;
(2) recognizes and commends those Gabonese who have
demonstrated their desire for free and fair elections;
(3) believes it is critical that the November 2005
presidential elections be conducted in a fair and transparent
manner, and that the elections be viewed by the people of Gabon
as such so that the winner of the election can claim a clear
and legitimate mandate to govern the country;
(4) calls on the Government of Gabon and opposition parties
to continue their peaceful dialogue and to fairly and
transparently resolve any elections-related disputes between
them;
(5) calls on the Gabonese Government--
(A) to hold orderly, peaceful, free, and fair
presidential elections in November 2005 in order to
ensure the long-term growth and stability of Gabon;
(B) to guarantee the full, free, and open
participation of opposition parties in the upcoming
elections; and
(C) to guarantee all Gabonese citizens the freedom
of speech and the freedom of assembly; and
(6) calls on the Government of the United States and the
international community to continue to encourage and support
the institutionalization of democratic processes and the
establishment of conditions for good governance in Gabon and
the sub-region.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on International Relations.
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