The Gabonese Progress Party (french: Parti gabonais du progrès, PGP) is a

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...

Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north ...

History

The PGP was established as a left-leaning party in March 1990, at the beginning of the wave of democratization that swept Africa in the early 1990s. Initially, its key leaders were

Pierre-Louis Agondjo Okawé Pierre-Louis or Pierre Louis is a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name *Pierre-Louis Bentabole (1756–1798), revolutionary Frenchman * Pierre-Louis Billaudèle (1796–1869), priest from, and educated in, Fran ...

, who was President, Marc Saturnin Nan Nguema, who was Vice-President, and Joseph Rendjambe, who was Secretary-General.David E. Gardinier and Douglas A. Yates, ''Historical Dictionary of Gabon'' (2006), Third Edition, pages 256–257. Rendjambe died in unclear circumstances in May 1990, resulting in riots by angry opposition supporters in

Port-Gentil Port-Gentil () or Mandji is the second-largest city of Gabon, and it is a leading seaport. It is the center of Gabon's petroleum and timber industries. The city is located on a delta island in the Ogooue delta with no bridges to the mainland. Nea ...

and

Libreville Libreville is the capital and largest city of Gabon. Occupying in the northwestern province of Estuaire, Libreville is a port on the Komo River, near the Gulf of Guinea. As of the 2013 census, its population was 703,904. The area has been inh ...

. In the 1990 parliamentary elections the PGP won 18 seats, emerging as the third-largest party. Agondjo Okawé was the PGP candidate in the 1993 presidential elections, finishing third amidst opposition allegations of fraud. President

Omar Bongo El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba (born Albert-Bernard Bongo; 30 December 1935 – 8 June 2009) was a Gabonese politician who was the second President of Gabon for 42 years, from 1967 until his death in 2009. Omar Bongo was promoted to key positions as ...

of the

Gabonese Democratic Party The Gabonese Democratic Party (french: Parti Démocratique Gabonais, abbreviated PDG), is the ruling and dominant political party of Gabon. Between 1968 and 1990 it was the sole legal party. History The party was established as the Gabonese Dem ...

(PDG) received more votes than Agondjo Okawé even in the PGP stronghold on Port-Gentil, a fact that was noted skeptically by observers. Agondjo Okawé refused an invitation to join the government in late 1994, following talks between the government and the opposition. In the 1996 parliamentary elections the party was reduced to 10 seats, but was now the second-largest party to the PDG. The PGP supported radical opposition leader

Pierre Mamboundou Pierre Mamboundou (6 November 1946 – 15 October 2011) was a Gabonese politician. He was President of the Union of the Gabonese People (UPG), an opposition party in Gabon, from 1989 to 2011. ACCT career and 1989 events Mamboundou was born in ...

in the 1998 presidential elections in which Bongo again prevailed, with Mamboundou placed second according to official results. In the 2001 parliamentary elections the PGP was reduced to three seats. Agondjo Okawé announced in March 2005 that he would not be a candidate for the 2005 presidential elections, a decision attributed to old age and declining health.Présidentielles 2005: Agondjo Okawé à nouveau forfait
L'Union, 7 March 2005 Agondjo Okawé died in August 2005, and was replaced as party leader by

Seraphim Ndaot Rembogo A seraph (, "burning one"; plural seraphim ) is a type of celestial or heavenly being originating in Ancient Judaism. The term plays a role in subsequent Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Tradition places seraphim in the highest rank in Chr ...

. The PGP subsequently experienced internal disagreement regarding its choice of a presidential candidate,GABON: Bongo, Africa's longest-serving ruler, wants another seven years
IRIN, 3 October 2005 ultimately not nominating anyone. In the 2006 parliamentary elections the party won only two seats. The party did not nominate a candidate for the 2009 presidential elections, and lost its two seats in the 2011 parliamentary elections, which it boycotted.Tom Lansford (2015) ''Political Handbook of the World 2015'', CQ Press

References

1990 establishments in Gabon Consultative member parties of the Socialist International Democratic socialist parties in Africa Political parties established in 1990 Political parties in Gabon Socialism in Gabon Social democratic parties in Africa {{Gabon-stub