Who will take over as Gabon’s next president?

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The Gabonese Republic, formally known as Gabon, is a nation on the west coast of Central Africa. The official language of the country is French.

Past Presidents

Gabon has had three presidents since gaining its independence from France in August 1960.

It established a multi-party system and a democratic constitution in the 1990s with the goal of improving electoral transparency and reforming some governmental institutions.

Léon M’ba was chosen as the first president of Gabon in 1961, while Omar Bongo Ondimba served as his vice president.

In 1967, after M’Ba passed away, Bongo took over as president. Bongo declared Gabon a one-party state in March 1968 after dissolving BDG and founding the Parti Democratique Gabonais (PDG).

The vice president position was eliminated in April 1975 and was replaced by the prime minister, who did not have the right to succeed themselves automatically. Bongo was re-elected president for a seven-year term in December 1979 and November 1986.

In September 1990, two coup d’état attempts were discovered and failed.

The first multiparty National Assembly elections in nearly 30 years took place in September and October 1990, with protests following the death of an opposition leader. PDG won a majority.

In December 1993, Bongo was re-elected with 51% of the vote, but the opposition candidates refused to recognise the results.

In December 1998, Bongo easily won re-election. He was re-elected for a sixth term in November 2005.

At a Spanish hospital in Barcelona on June 8, 2009, Bongo died from a heart arrest. On June 10, 2009, Rose Francine Rogombé, President of the Senate, assumed the position of Interim President in accordance with Gabon’s modified Constitution.

On August 30, 2009, 18 candidates ran for president in the first contested elections in Gabon’s history where Omar Bongo was not a candidate.

Following a three-week Constitutional Court review, Ali Bongo Ondimba, the head of the ruling party, was officially proclaimed the victor.

A military-led coup attempt against President Ali Bongo occurred in January 2019, although it ultimately failed.

Following Ali Bongo’s re-election as president, a number of senior Gabonese military officials went on television early on August 30 to declare their assumption of power.

The officers claimed to speak for all of the country’s security and military forces when they appeared on the national television network Gabon 24.

The soldiers said that the election results had been thrown out, that all borders had been shut, and that all state institutions had been disbanded.

Resources

Gabon is the fourth largest oil producer in Sub-Saharan Africa. Oil accounts for about 40% of the country’s GDP and 80% of its exports. It also has a significant reserve of natural gas.

The central African country is also one of the world’s largest producers of manganese, a metal used in steelmaking and other industrial applications.

Other natural resources there include diamond, uranium, gold and timbre.

Four men who could succeed Ali Bongo

A coup d’état has made a group of senior military men the de facto leaders of Gabon.

The coup comes after Ali Bongo’s re-election for the third time.

The disputed presidential election results, in which incumbent Bongo was declared the victor, is said to have been the coup’s catalyst.

The government has been overthrown and Bongo has been placed under house arrest by the coup leaders.

A new interim government has also been formed, but it is not yet known who will serve as its head.

The international community has reacted to the coup in different ways.

Some nations, including France and the United States, have denounced the coup and demanded that democracy be restored in Gabon.

Russia is one country that has backed the coup leaders.

We don’t yet know how the coup will proceed or who will take over as Gabon’s next president.

Here are some of the possible candidates who could become the new leader of Gabon:

Christel Nzeya: Nzeya is a former minister of defense and a close ally of the coup leaders. He is seen as a potential interim president.

Franck Nguéma Ondoula: Nguéma Ondoula is the leader of the Gabonese Republican Party, the country’s second-largest opposition party. He is also a former minister of state.

Albert Ondo Ossa: Ondo Ossa is the main opposition candidate in the recent presidential election. He has rejected the election results and called for Bongo’s resignation.

Jean Ping: Ping is a former foreign minister and prime minister of Gabon. He is also a former president of the African Union. He has been critical of Bongo’s government and has called for democratic reforms.

It is too early to say who will ultimately become the new leader of Gabon. The situation is still fluid and it is possible that the coup leaders will be overthrown or that a new election will be held.

However, the coup has undoubtedly shaken the political landscape in Gabon and it is clear that the country is entering a new era. (AFP)