The new Prime minister appointed in Gabon has told reporters that a two-year transition before the free elections promised by the new military rulers is a ‘reasonable objective’.
‘It’s good to set off with a reasonable objective by saying: we have the desire to see the process come to an end in 24 months so we can go back to elections,’ said Raymond Ndong Sima, Prime minister during the transition. That period could end up being slightly longer or shorter, he added.
Africa Today News, New York recalls that Ndong Sima was appointed last week as head of the transitional government by General Brice Oligui Nguema, who led the August coup d’etat against President Ali Bongo Ondimba.
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The coup happened on August 30, moments after Bongo had been declared the winner of a presidential election which both the army and the opposition declared fraudulent.
Nguema, proclaimed president for the transitional period, immediately promised to hand the country back to civilian rule with elections after a transitional period, the length of which he did not immediately specify.
In his inauguration speech, Oligui promised to hold “free, transparent and credible elections” to restore civilian rule but did not give a timeframe.
Bongo, in power since 2009, had succeeded his father Omar Bongo, who ruled the Central African oil producer for 42 years. The family’s dynastic rule had created widespread discontent, with critics saying the Bongos did little to share Gabon’s wealth with its 2.3 million people.
The coup was greeted with scenes of jubilation in the capital Libreville, and the military government moved quickly to consolidate power, swearing in General Brice Oligui Nguema as interim president on Monday.
Army officers read a decree on state television on Thursday announcing that Sima had been named prime minister.
Nguema has promised economic reforms and said he will organise free and fair elections, though he has not said when.