Gabon kicks off Senate elections

The election campaign for Gabon's 102 Senate seats was officially opened on Saturday throughout the West African country, the national electoral commission announced. The campaign is pitting 150 candidates in the run-up to the election on Jan. 18, with the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) as the most powerful contender for the seats. A total of 84 of the candidates come from the PDG, while each of the opposition parties has fewer than 10 for the race. The mandate for senators is six...