State in Gabon

The Constitution is the supreme law of Gabon and establishes the current Fifth Republic. The President of the Republic is head of state, exercises executive power and serves a seven-year mandate that may be renewed only once consecutively. The Vice-President of the Republic assists the President, while the Vice-President of the Government coordinates government action; the current Constitution does not provide for a Prime Minister. The Council of Ministers is chaired by the President, and ministries carry out public policies. Parliament has two chambers. The Assemblée Nationale is elected by direct universal suffrage for five years and has 145 deputies, including two seats for citizens abroad. The Sénat is elected by indirect suffrage for five years and represents local authorities. The judicial system includes the Cour Constitutionnelle, Cour de Cassation, Conseil d'Etat, Cour des Comptes, Haute Cour de Justice, Cour de Justice de la République and ordinary, administrative and financial courts. The Cour Constitutionnelle reviews constitutional questions, electoral and referendum regularity, and conflicts between institutions. A person harmed by an unconstitutional text may challenge it through the procedures provided by law. Gabon has nine provinces, followed by départements, districts, cantons, regroupements de villages and villages. The Constitution recognises communes and départements as local authorities with legal personality and administrative and financial autonomy under the law. Governors administer provinces, prefects administer départements and sub-prefects serve at the lower territorial level. Mayors and presidents of local councils manage local authorities, although decentralisation and the transfer of resources remain progressive and uneven. A 2016 official inventory recorded 9 provinces, 48 départements, 52 communes, 26 districts, 164 cantons, 969 regroupements and 2,743 villages. The Présidence, the Secrétariat Général du Gouvernement, ministries, governors, prefects, sub-prefects and town halls form the main administrative network. The Secrétariat Général du Gouvernement provides legal, institutional, technical and administrative support and helps maintain continuity of government action. The Ministry of the Interior, Security and Decentralisation handles territorial administration, public freedoms, decentralisation, local development, civil protection, public security and immigration matters. A public procedure normally begins with the competent ministry or territorial authority, followed by the required form and documents and any sector-specific appeal. Fees and deadlines depend on the service. Public revenue comes from taxes, customs, CEMAC-related resources, loans, grants and other authorised receipts. Gabon uses the FCFA within the CEMAC monetary framework. Parliament votes finance laws and authorises taxation. The 2026 initial finance law set budgetary expenditure at FCFA 4,618,950,938,415, including a general budget of FCFA 4,441,291,121,761 and special accounts of FCFA 177,659,816,654; general-budget receipts were set at FCFA 3,808,005,105,300, leaving a financing need of FCFA 810,945,833,115. A 2026 amending finance law was adopted by the Assemblée Nationale, so current figures should be checked in the Journal Officiel. The Cour des Comptes assists Parliament and the Government, controls budget execution and certifies the general government accounts. The Constitution protects equality before public institutions, access to information and administrative documents, opinion, expression, communication, press freedom, association, trade unions, political parties, religious communities and access to and rectification of personal data. The Haute Autorité de la Communication regulates audiovisual, film, print and digital communication and advertising under Ordonnance n°0013/PR/2026. These freedoms operate within limits set by law, public order, dignity, security and privacy. Other oversight bodies include the Conseil d'Etat, the Conseil Economique, Social, Environnemental et Culturel, the Commission Nationale des Droits de l'Homme, the Médiateur de la République, the Commission Nationale de Lutte contre l'Enrichissement Illicite and the Commission Nationale pour la Protection des Données à Caractère Personnel. The President guarantees national independence, territorial integrity and continuity of the State and is the supreme commander of the defence and security forces. The security structure includes the Ministry of Defence, the Armed Forces, the Gendarmerie Nationale, the Forces de Police Nationale, the Garde Républicaine, the Conseil National de Sécurité and the Ministry of the Interior. In peacetime, border security is generally assigned to the Commander-in-Chief of the Gendarmerie Nationale, except for missions assigned to the armed forces. The President may declare a state of emergency or siege after the required consultations; extending it beyond fifteen days requires Parliament's approval. Private-security activities require authorisation from the Ministry of the Interior.