Opposition politician becomes interim head of government in Gabon

Opposition politician Ndong Sima has been appointed interim head of government in Gabon. He was a political opponent of Bongo, who had been overthrown a week earlier, but according to the election results he was unsuccessful.

After the military coup in Gabon, opposition politician Raymond Ndong Sima was appointed interim head of government of the central African country. The new governor, Brice Olegie Nguema, appointed an avowed opponent of deposed President Ali Bongo Ondimba as Prime Minister for the transition period. This comes through a decree read on state television.

Fallen Bongo opponent

The 68-year-old economist is considered a fierce opponent of Bongo, who was ousted a week ago. Although he served as its prime minister from 2012 to 2014, he later distanced himself from it over allegations of mismanagement. In the presidential elections of 2016 and this year, Ndong Sima ran as a challenger to Bongo – albeit unsuccessfully.

A military coup after a controversial victory in the elections

On Wednesday last week, the military in the central African country ousted the country’s longtime head of state after his controversial election victory. The military representatives justified the coup by the existence of a “serious institutional, political, economic and social crisis” in the country. Bongo was meanwhile under house arrest. General Olegy, 48, was sworn in as Gabon’s interim president.