,,iv  #aadth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,h4 ,,res4 #hba  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of
 ,,representatives  ,july #ab1 #bjaf,mr4
 ,smith of ,new ,jersey 7for himself1   
,mr4 ,engel1 ,mr4 ,royce1 and ,mr4      
,meeks7 submitted the following         
resolution2 which was referred to the   
,committee on ,foreign ,affairs         
,,resolution  ,urging the ,government of
 ,gabon to respect democratic principles
 during the ,august #bjaf presidential  
elections4  ,whereas the ,united ,states
 has deep interests in the political    
freedom1 democratic stability1 and      
regional leadership of ,gabon2 ,whereas 
,gabon boasts a per capita income four  
times that of most sub-,saharan ,african
 nations1 but because of high income    
inequality1 a large proportion of the   
population remains poor2 ,whereas       
despite constrained political           
conditions1 ,gabon's small population1  
abundant natural resources1 and         
considerable foreign support have helped
 make it one of the more stable ,african

 countries2 ,whereas ,gabon gained      
independence from ,france in #aifj and  
,omar ,bongo ,ondimba became president  
in #aifg1 solidifying the ,gabonese     
,democratic ,party 7,,pdg7 dominance of 
power ever since2 ,whereas ,gabon       
adopted a constitution in #aiia that    
formalized a multiparty system and      
imposed a two-term presidential term    
limit2 ,whereas the constitution was    
amended to remove presidential term     
limits in #bjjc2 ,whereas ,president    
,omar ,bongo ,ondima died in ,june #bjji
 after more than #dj years in power1    
making him one of ,africa's longest     
serving heads of state2 ,whereas        
following the death of ,president ,omar 
,bongo ,ondima1 elections were hastily  
organized in ,august #bjji in which the 
son of the former president1 ,ali ,bongo
 ,ondimba1 was elected with #da percent 
of the vote2 ,whereas the legitimacy of 
the #bjji election results was largely  
disputed by opposition parties and civil
 society1 and greatly increased         

political tensions in the country since2
 ,whereas the ,department of ,state     
reported that the #bjji elections were  
plagued with instances of destructive   
demonstrations1 human rights abuses1    
irregularities of voter registration    
lists1 improperly guarded polls1 unfair 
censorship of news coverage1 and        
post-election violence2 ,whereas ,gabon 
is scheduled to hold presidential       
elections in ,august #bjaf2 ,whereas a  
free and fair election in ,gabon holds  
regional significance as an example for 
other ,african countries that have      
elections scheduled in the near future2 
,whereas the citizens of ,gabon have    
demonstrated their support for the      
democratic process and have actively    
participated in political parties and   
elections2 ,whereas tensions in ,gabon  
are growing from grievances about the   
legal framework of elections1 including 
respect of the constitution and current 
laws1 independence of institutions      
within the electoral system1 terms      

limits1 and the lack of representation  
of civil society on election management 
bodies2 ,whereas since the #bjji        
presidential election1 some political   
demonstrations have been met with       
tension and violence1 which have only   
been exacerbated by the lack of equal   
access to public and private media by   
opposition parties and civil society    
organizations2 ,whereas certain         
innovative institutions in ,gabon1 such 
as the ,national ,council for ,democracy
 7,,cnd7 and the office of the ,mediator
 of the ,republic1 can potentially play 
a positive role in fostering citizen    
participation in elections and advance  
democratic principles2 and ,whereas     
there is concern for misconduct in the  
upcoming elections1 including the       
mishandling of voter registration1      
creating barriers to election day       
polling1 and the integrity of the       
election results3 ,now1 therefore1 be it
  ,that the ,house of ,representatives--
 7#a7 calls on the ,gabonese ,government

 to--  7,a7 hold orderly1 peaceful1     
free1 and fair presidential elections in
 ,august #bjaf in order to ensure       
stability and long-term growth of       
,gabon2  7,b7 guarantee fair and open   
participation of opposition parties2 and
  7,c7 guarantee the freedom of speech  
and assembly of all ,gabonese citizens2 
7#b7 encourages continued efforts toward
 the consolidation of democracy through 
increased dialogue and concrete actions 
to address constitutional and legal     
framework of electoral systems and      
supports ,gabonese organizations that   
work to further strengthen democratic   
processes2  7#c7 calls on the citizens  
of ,gabon to fully and peacefully       
participate in the presidential         
elections2 and  7#d7 calls on the       
,united ,states and other international 
partners1 especially electoral focused  
nongovernmental organizations1 to help  
create an environment which facilitates 
open communication1 guarantees free and 
fair elections1 encourages voter        

participation1 and fosters a robust     
civil society4