The President of Gabon for 41 years from 1967 until his death in office in 2009.
Career
He took part in the trade union movement and in the fight for the independence in Brazzaville. During that period he was noticed by the president Leon M’Ba and practically familly relationships set up between them.
In September 1990 there were two attempts of coup d’état which were difficult to suppress. The president was involved into oil scandal Elf: one of the head of the company who was sentence to imprisonment stated that all the attributed property wasn’t his property; it was the property of the president Gabon Omar Bongo.
A report about money laundering by foreign officials was published in USA. The name of the president Omar Bongo was there. All told. Practically 85million $ were transited through the fictitious firm’s accounts which were the property of Bongo’s family.
Politics
Omar Bongo shares the conception of multipolar world, he criticizes US efforts to manage world policy and get other democracies individually.
He supports the idea of creating African Union.
Bongo appreciates USSR contribution to the process of the formation of independent Africa, not accepting its “sclerotic ideology” – as he says.
President’s home economy policy is very inconsistent and unstructured. It is characterized by weak financial control, which signifies constant overdraft of budgetary and extrabudgetary funds, sometimes unseasonable external debt service. The principle of regulated private enterprises is supported. Reforms are carrying out slowly and inconsistently. The latest line of planned reforms which are concerned with the IMF and The World Bank provides the reformation of state enterprises and the administrative reform.
Views
Quotations:
“ The main enemy for African politician is family,clan,village,nationality. I am the president of all the Gaboneses”.