General Brice Oligui Nguema, who overthrew Ali Bongo at the end of August, on Monday appointed leaders of the ex-opposition but also former leaders of the regime of the deposed president to head the two chambers of a future transitional Parliament.
General Oligui led, without bloodshed, the military coup of August 30 against Ali Bongo Ondimba, who had barely been proclaimed re-elected, whose family had ruled the country for fifty-five years. The soldiers accused his camp of having rigged the results of the presidential election, of “bad governance” and of “corruption”.
Transitional government
Proclaimed President of the transition, the general promised to “return power to civilians” through elections within a time frame that he has not yet specified but by setting up provisional institutions comprising “all the active forces of the nation”, of all political persuasions.
The day after the appointment of a transitional government, entrusted to a tenor of the ex-opposition – Raymond Ndong Sima – and composed of former leaders of the Ali Bongo regime, opponents, members of civil society and soldiers, the new strongman of Gabon repeated this sprinkling on Monday in the offices of the future National Assembly and transitional Senate. Of which he must then name the 70 and 50 parliamentarians respectively.
Known figures
The president of the transitional Senate is Paulette Missambo, one of the main figures in the opposition to Ali Bongo for the 2023 presidential election, president of the National Union (UN) party, according to a decree from General Oligui read on public television.
The president of the Transitional National Assembly is Jean-François Ndongou, several times minister of Ali Bongo, in power for fourteen years, and of his father Omar Bongo Ondimba, who ruled Gabon before him for forty-one years.
Curfew reduced in Libreville
Four vice-presidents for each of the two chambers were also appointed, with, in each office: army officers, members of parties or civil society organizations known opponents of the Bongo camp and former leaders of his regime who rallied to the power of the military after August 30.
Furthermore, the duration of the curfew established by Bongo’s government on the evening of the presidential election of August 26, then maintained by the military, was reduced on Monday in Libreville and its suburbs, from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. instead of 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. . It is maintained on the rest of the territory, announced the soldiers.