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Omar Bongo

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World Leader

The Resume

    (December 30, 1935-June 8, 2009)
    Born in Lewai (now Bongoville), Gabon
    Birth name was Albert-Bernard Bongo
    President of Gabon (1967-2009)

Why he might be annoying:

    You change your name from 'Albert-Bernard Bongo' and it is the 'Albert-Bernard' part that gets the ax?
    He ruled Gabon as a one-party state until 1990.
    After allowing opposition parties, he used the country's oil revenues to bribe their leaders into not putting up too vigorous a challenge.
    A fashion designer testified that he kept Bongo supplied with prostitutes during his frequent visits to Paris.
    He allegedly paid $9 million to lobbyist Jack Abramoff to arrange a meeting with President George W. Bush.
    He reportedly received 50 million euros a year in illicit payments from the French petroleum company Elf Aquitaine.
    His French bank accounts were frozen during an investigation into corruption charges (February, 2009).

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was born in poverty.
    He was popular with the Gabonese for maintaining stability, despite the country's varied ethnic mix.
    He played an important role in trying to solve crises in the Congo, the Central African Republic and Burundi.
    Upon the retirement of Fidel Castro, he became the world's longest-ruling non-royal leader.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 71 Votes: 57.75% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 14 Votes: 85.71% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 36 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 83 Votes: 56.63% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 38 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 19 Votes: 57.89% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 28 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 29 Votes: 51.72% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 30 Votes: 73.33% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 51 Votes: 82.35% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 166 Votes: 68.07% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 143 Votes: 74.83% Annoying