Page "History of Gabon" Paragraph 15

Following President Bongo's re-election in December 1993 with 51 % of the vote, opposition candidates refused to validate the election results.

Serious civil disturbances led to an agreement between the government and opposition factions to work toward a political settlement.

These talks led to the Paris Accords in November 1994, under which several opposition figures were included in a government of national unity, and constitutional reforms were approved in a referendum in 1995.

This arrangement soon broke down, however, and the 1996 and 1997 legislative and municipal elections provided the background for renewed partisan politics.

The PDG won a landslide victory in the legislative election, but several major cities, including Libreville, elected opposition mayors during the 1997 local election.