Raymond Ndong Sima, a virulent opponent of ousted President Ali Bongo, was appointed by the military junta as prime minister of the transition, according to a decree read on state television.
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The president of the transition in Gabon, General Brice Oligui Nguema, appointed on Thursday, September 7, Raymond Ndong Sima, an economist and virulent opponent of President Ali Bongo, who was overthrown by the military a week ago, as prime minister of the transition, according to a decree read on state television.
Raymond Ndong Sima, 68, was Ali Bongo’s prime minister from 2012 to 2014, but he distanced himself from the government, which he regularly accused of mismanagement, even running as a candidate against the head of state in the 2016 presidential election. and 2023.
For these last elections, he withdrew at the last moment in favor of a candidate shared by the main opposition movements and parties.
transitional government
General Oligui Nguema, who led the coup on August 30 against Ali Bongo, who had just been proclaimed re-elected in “fraudulent” elections, according to the military, was sworn in on Monday as president of a transition period, the duration of which has not fixed, and at the end of which he promised “free elections”.
On Monday he also announced the formation of a transitional government made up of personalities from all political parties. Next, a new Constitution would be drawn up with representatives of “all the living forces of the nation” that would be submitted to a referendum and would be “more respectful of democracy and human rights.”
A few minutes after the announcement of his appointment, Raymond Ndong Sima told AFP that he hoped to present a proposal for a transitional government to General Oligui “within three or four days.”
“That all political families are represented”
“They have given me a road map, and I am going to try to work in line with what the military have decided” so that “we can put all the institutions back in order, and in particular everything that has to do with the elections” , explained by phone the new prime minister of the transition.
“I want to consult widely” and “without rushing” to “ensure that people from all political families are represented” in the government, he concluded.
Raymond Ndong Sima was born in the province of Woleu-Ntem, the cradle of the Fang ethnic group, the majority in Gabon and one of the historical strongholds of the opposition to the Bongo family, and has a degree in econometrics from the University of Paris-Dauphine in Paris.
On Wednesday, he announced his withdrawal from the main platform of the old opposition, Alternancia 2023, of which he was one of the main figures along with five other declared presidential candidates, pointing out “a confusing situation for several days.”
Five of the six Alternancia 2023 leaders, including himself, had ostensibly joined the new military government, while the position of the last one, Alternancia 2023’s joint presidential candidate Albert Ondo Ossa, was not clearly expressed.
Three days ago, Raymond Ndong Sima had already declared to AFP the need to “discuss with the military”, however recommending that the transition not exceed “24 months”. At that time, he declared himself “interested in the upcoming presidential elections,” in which “the military should not participate.”
On Tuesday, General Oligui Nguema announced that Ali Bongo, until then under house arrest in Libreville, was “free to move” and, “given his state of health”, to “travel abroad” to undergo medical examinations. The deposed head of state suffered a serious stroke in 2018, which has left him with physical scars.
The coup was carried out without bloodshed by military coup leaders united behind General Oligui and the heads of all the Army and Police forces. They quickly won the support of almost all the former opposition parties and a part of the erstwhile majority, as well as a massive outpouring of support from the population, who thanked them for “liberating” them from 55 years of the “Bongo dynasty”. in the power.
with AFP
This article was adapted from its original in French
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