egislative branch: bicameral legislature consists of the Senate (91
seats) and the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (120 seats);
members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms
elections: National Assembly - last held 15 and 29 December 1996 (next
to be held NA December 2001); Senate - last held 26 January and 9
February 1997 (next to be held in January 2002)
election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - PDG 89, PGP 9, RNB 6, CLR 3, UPG 2, USG 2,
independents 4, others 5; Senate - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - PDG 53, RNB 20, PGP 4, ADERE 3, RDP 1, CLR 1,
independents 9

Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme consisting of three
chambers - Judicial, Administrative, and Accounts; Constitutional
Court; Courts of Appeal; Court of State Security; County Courts

Political parties and leaders: African Forum for Reconstruction or FAR
; Circle of Liberal Reformers or CLR [General Jean Boniface
ASSELE]; Democratic and Republican Alliance or ADERE
; Gabonese Democratic Party or PDG, former
sole party ; Gabonese
Party for Progress or PGP ;
Gabonese People's Union or UPG ; Gabonese Socialist
Union or USG ; National Rally of Woodcutters (Bucherons) or
RNB ; People's Unity Party or PUP [Louis
Gaston MAYILA]; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP ;
Social Democratic Party or PSD

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC,
CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IDB,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (associate), ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Paul BOUNDOUKOU-LATHA
chancery: Suite 200, 2034 20th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: (202) 797-1000
FAX: (202) 332-0668
consulate(s): New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador James V. LEDESMA
embassy: Boulevard de la Mer, Libreville
mailing address: B. P. 4000, Libreville
telephone: 76 20 03 through 76 20 04, 74 34 92
FAX: 74 55 07

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

@Gabon:Economy

Economy - overview: Gabon enjoys a per capita income four times that
of most nations of sub-Saharan Africa. This has supported a sharp
decline in extreme poverty; yet because of high income inequa