General Brice Oligui Nguema, the leader of Gabon’s coup, selected a new group of people for the national assembly and senate on Saturday. This is for a temporary time until elections happen, though the exact date is not known yet.
On August 30, the military and police leaders worked together to peacefully take control, supported by politicians, society, and the public. This ended over 55 years of the Bongo family’s rule. The new leaders promise fair elections and to return power to regular citizens after a discussion involving the whole nation.
The military hopes to hold elections between April and June 2024. A spokesperson, speaking for the temporary leader, announced 98 names of new parliament members on national TV. This includes members from opposition parties and some who supported the former president Ali Bongo Ondimba.
The military has already established a temporary civilian government led by Raymond Ndong Sima, who used to be prime minister and later became a prominent opposition figure under Bongo. This government will collaborate with a national transition council, which is made up of army officers with similar roles as the ministers.
During Bongo’s time, the parliament had the authority to make laws, but they mainly just approved the ruling party’s decisions.
Ali Bongo, who is 64 years old, became the leader after his father, Omar, passed away in 2009, following almost 42 years in power.
Right after he was announced the winner in the contested August elections, Bongo was suddenly removed from power.
For many, this was seen as a move to free themselves from the control of the Bongo family. This family ruled for a long time, during which only a small part of the 2.3 million people in the oil-rich country lived very comfortably, while a third of the population struggled to make ends meet below the poverty line.
SOURCE:FRANCE24