The Senate (''Sénat'') is the upper house of the

Parliament of Gabon The Parliament of Gabon consists of two chambers: *The Senate (Upper Chamber) *The National Assembly (Lower Chamber) See also * Politics of Gabon * List of legislatures by country * Legislative branch References External links National Ass ...

. It has 102 members, elected for a six-year term in single-seat

constituencies An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...

by local and départemental councillors. Beginning with the 2009 election, some constituencies elect two senators. The 1991 Constitution provided for the establishment of the Senate; previously the legislature had consisted of a unicameral

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

. The Senate was not created until 1997, when an election was held to fill the seats in the upper house. The first Senate president was

Georges Rawiri Georges Rawiri (March 10, 1932 – April 9, 2006
Xinhua (''People's Daily Online''), April 10, 2006.

(1932-2006), a long-time national political figure and close ally of

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 ...

. He served in this position until his death in 2006. He was replaced by René Radembino Coniquet, also a member of the Myéné ethnic group. A Senate election was held on 18 January 2009. The ruling

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 ...

won a large majority of seats."Gabon: Elections sénatoriales 2009: le PDG en tête des résultats"
Gabonews, 19 January 2009 . On this occasion, the number of senators was increased from 91 to 102. Following the election, Rose Francine Rogombé was elected as President of the Senate.

Elections

References

External links

Website of the Senate of Gabon

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 ...

Government of Gabon {{gabon-stub