RIP Omar Bongo

The Bus · 07-10-09, 02:49 AM

Omar Bongo Ondimba (30 December 1935 – 8 June 2009[3]), born Albert-Bernard Bongo, was a Gabonese politician who was President of Gabon from 1967 to 2009.
Bongo, a man of short stature at 4 feet 11 inches (1.5 m),[4] was promoted to key positions as a young official under President Leon M'ba in the 1960s. He was Vice-President from 1966 to 1967 and succeeded M'ba upon the latter's death in 1967. After Cuban President Fidel Castro stepped down in February 2008, Bongo became the world's longest-serving ruler, excluding monarchies,in africa,only the emperor haile selassie lasted longer than him.[5]
Bongo headed the single-party regime of the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) until 1990, when multi-party politics was introduced in Gabon. Although he faced intense opposition to his rule in the early 1990s, he eventually succeeded in consolidating power again; a key factor in this was his ability to bring most of the major opposition leaders of the 1990s over to his side. He was re-elected in the extremely controversial 1993 presidential election, and again in 1998 and 2005, with his majorities increasing and the opposition becoming more subdued on each occasion. He died in office in 2009.
An ardent Francophile, he was largely praised by French officials as a friend of France and Françafrique, but was criticized for allegedly having worked for France, himself, his family and local elites and not for Gabon and its people. For instance, the French ex-magistrate Eva Joly noted that despite an oil-led GDP per capita the level of Portugal's, Gabon built only 5 km of freeway a year and still has one of the world's highest infant mortality rates.

5km of freeway a year! That's crazy!

Mordred · 07-10-09, 03:01 AM

Well that sucks. I hope one of his brothers or sisters finds my bank's routing number because this guy was supposed to deposit $50k of his family's fortune in my account.

chuckd21 · 07-10-09, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mordred

Well that sucks. I hope one of his brothers or sisters finds my bank's routing number because this guy was supposed to deposit $50k of his family's fortune in my account.

/thread

Groucho · 07-10-09, 11:37 AM

Somebody's stacking the odds for Reverse Sheep!

07-10-09, 02:49 AM	#1
The Bus DVD Talk Hero Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Delaware Posts: 42,898	RIP Omar Bongo Omar Bongo Ondimba (30 December 1935 – 8 June 2009[3]), born Albert-Bernard Bongo, was a Gabonese politician who was President of Gabon from 1967 to 2009. Bongo, a man of short stature at 4 feet 11 inches (1.5 m),[4] was promoted to key positions as a young official under President Leon M'ba in the 1960s. He was Vice-President from 1966 to 1967 and succeeded M'ba upon the latter's death in 1967. After Cuban President Fidel Castro stepped down in February 2008, Bongo became the world's longest-serving ruler, excluding monarchies,in africa,only the emperor haile selassie lasted longer than him.[5] Bongo headed the single-party regime of the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) until 1990, when multi-party politics was introduced in Gabon. Although he faced intense opposition to his rule in the early 1990s, he eventually succeeded in consolidating power again; a key factor in this was his ability to bring most of the major opposition leaders of the 1990s over to his side. He was re-elected in the extremely controversial 1993 presidential election, and again in 1998 and 2005, with his majorities increasing and the opposition becoming more subdued on each occasion. He died in office in 2009. An ardent Francophile, he was largely praised by French officials as a friend of France and Françafrique, but was criticized for allegedly having worked for France, himself, his family and local elites and not for Gabon and its people. For instance, the French ex-magistrate Eva Joly noted that despite an oil-led GDP per capita the level of Portugal's, Gabon built only 5 km of freeway a year and still has one of the world's highest infant mortality rates. 5km of freeway a year! That's crazy! __________________ Panda Killer XBL/PSN/Steam: Chiwotweiler \| hd dvdaf \| last.fm \| Movies: 2002 / 03 / 04 / 05 / 06 / 07 / 08 / 09 "Wearing Shakira's ass for a hat interests me more than anything else in the universe." - Hokeyboy

07-10-09, 03:01 AM	#2
Mordred DVD Talk Hall of Fame Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 9,082	Re: RIP Omar Bongo Well that sucks. I hope one of his brothers or sisters finds my bank's routing number because this guy was supposed to deposit $50k of his family's fortune in my account. __________________ PSN: MordredKLB \| last.fm \| Music Ratings: 2009 "Mordred is a very smart man." - JasonF

07-10-09, 11:37 AM	#4
Groucho DVD Talk Hero Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Salt Lake City, Utah Posts: 46,696	Re: RIP Omar Bongo Somebody's stacking the odds for Reverse Sheep! __________________ Panda Killers? Xbox Live: Runner Groucho PSN: RunnerGroucho