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[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 285 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 285

 Expressing the sense of the Senate that all necessary steps should be 
 taken to ensure the elections to be held in Gabon in December of 1998 
                           are free and fair.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

              October 5 (legislative day, October 2), 1998

Mr. Lugar submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
 Expressing the sense of the Senate that all necessary steps should be 
 taken to ensure the elections to be held in Gabon in December of 1998 
                           are free and fair.

Whereas Gabon is a heavily forested and oil-rich country on central Africa's 
        west coast;
Whereas Gabon gained independence from France in 1960;
Whereas Gabon is scheduled to hold national elections in December 1998 for the 
        purpose of electing a President;
Whereas the Government of Gabon has been subject to single-party rule for a 
        significant period of its recent history and only 1 person has held the 
        office of the President since 1967;
Whereas the Freedom House Survey of World Freedom, 1997-1998, determined that 
        ``Gabon's citizens have never been able to exercise their constitutional 
        right to change their government democratically'';
Whereas the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) and the 
        National Democratic Institute (NDI) served as observers during the 
        organization of the 1993 Presidential and legislative elections in 
        Garbon and found widespread electoral irregularities;
Whereas the Government of Gabon is a signatory to the ``Paris Accords'' of 1994, 
        approved by national referendum in July 1995, which were to have 
        provided for a State of law guaranteeing basic individual freedoms and 
        the organization of free and fair elections under a new independent 
        national election commission;
Whereas the people of Gabon have demonstrated their support for the democratic 
        process through the formation of numerous political parties since 1990 
        and their strong participation in prior elections; and
Whereas it is in the interest of the United States to promote political and 
        economic freedom in Africa and throughout the world: Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes and commends those Gabonese who have 
        demonstrated their love for free and fair elections;
            (2) commends the Gabonese Government for inviting the 
        International Foundation for Election Systems to perform a pre-
        election assessment study;
            (3) calls on the Gabonese Government--
                    (A) to take measures to help ensure a credible 
                election and to ensure that the election commission 
                remains independent and impartial; and
                    (B) to invite the International Foundation for 
                Election Systems, the National Democratic Institute, 
                the International Republic Institute, and other 
                appropriate international non-governmental 
                organizations to aid the organization of, and supervise 
                the December 1998 Presidential election in Gabon, in an 
                effort to ensure that these elections in Gabon are free 
                and fair;
            (4) urges the Government of Gabon to take all necessary and 
        lawful steps toward conducting free and fair elections;
            (5) calls on the international community to join the United 
        States in offering their assistance toward free and fair 
        elections;
            (6) urges the United States Government to provide support 
        directly and through appropriate non-governmental organizations 
        to aid the organization of free and fair elections in Gabon;
            (7) calls on the United States Government to work with the 
        international community in urging the Government of Gabon to 
        create the conditions necessary to guarantee free and fair 
        elections; and
            (8) urges the United States Government and the 
        international community to continue to encourage the Government 
        of Gabon to ensure a lasting and committed transition to 
        democracy.
                                 <all>
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