Gabon (Soviet Dominance)

Gabon, formally referred to as the People's Republic of Gabon (République Socialiste Gabonaise) is a Marxist-Leninist country located in central Africa. It borders the nations of Cameroon, the EPR, and the Congo.

Colonial Gabon and Independence
Gabon became a territory of French Equatorial Africa, which survived until 1959. Gabon gained independence on August 1960, along with all the other states of the federation. The first president, Léon M'ba, was election in 1961. After his rise to power, freedoms were removed; freedom of expression was curtailed, the press was suppressed, and political demonstration was banned. In January 1964, an army coup ousted him from power and tried to restore democracy.

Post-Coup Gabon
After a few days of fighting, the coup ended and all opposition was imprisoned. When M'Ba died in 1967, vice president Omar Bongo replaced him. He declared Gabon a one-party state, dissolving his own party and replacing it with a new party, the Parti Democratique Gabonais. He sought to forge a single national movement to support the government's development policies.

Democracy
In 1990, sweeping political reforms were placed upon the nation. A national senate was created, and various freedoms were restored. The nation was also on the path to becoming gradually more democracy. Opposition to the PDG still continued after the reforms, and in late 1990 two coup d'état attempts were uncovered by the government. In 1993 another political revolution swept the nation, however. With support from the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of the Congo, socialism was growing popular in the nation. The Gabonese Socialist Party was founded in 1992 and gained popularity in the nation.

Transition to Marxism
In 1993 elections were revolutionary for Gabon. The Socialist Party was gaining rapid influence, and Gabonese socialist leader Augustin Moussavou King ran for president. He won the election, however it was confirmed the Soviet Union sent people from Angola and Benin and gave them Gabonese identification. Despite the rigged election, King still rules over Gabon to this day.

Modern-day Gabon
Massive reforms were implemented upon the nation after the transition to Marxism. The nation became significantly less democratic; elections were still held but all parties were outlawed except the Socialist Party. The nation has a more prosperous economy than most other nations in Africa due to its abundance of natural resources.

Government
Gabon is technically a democratic state, however there is only one party; citizens are simply expected to vote for the candidate that fits their personal values the most. It has a great economy; the 4th best in all of Africa. It has good relations with nearly every Communist nation in the world and doesn't have any true enemies.