Gabon’s military leader General Brice Oligui Nguema, who led a 2023 coup to end 55 years of Bongo dynasty rule, announced on Monday that he will run for president in April.
Nguema had pledged to hand power back to civilians in the oil-rich central African nation after an interim period following the ousting of president Ali Bongo Ondimba in August 2023.
But a new electoral code approved by the transitional parliament at the end of January paved the way for members of the military and magistrates to stand for election.
“After careful reflection and in response to your many appeals, I’ve decided to be a candidate in the April 12 presidential election,” Nguema said in a speech in the capital Libreville.
Nguema, who turned 50 on Monday, said his vision for the seven-year term was “of a Gabon rising from the ashes”, pledging to tackle the country’s infrastructure issues.
“I am a builder and I need your courage, your strength, to build this country,” he said under pouring rain.
To present his candidacy, the former head of the presidential guard must temporarily abandon his general’s uniform while running for election, according to the Facebook account for his communications, Infos CTRI Officiel. “At the end of the election period, he will again wear his military uniform while awaiting the results,” it said, adding that he would no longer wear the uniform if elected. “If he’s not elected, he will return to the barracks.”
Ahead of Monday’s announcement, the general made appearances at several public events, notably a large military rally on Saturday and a mass on Sunday where priests released a flock of doves in his honour.
Rumours had circulated that Nguema had handed in his military stripes on Saturday ahead of his presidential tilt.
After a 28-year army career, a seven-year term in office “will not change his way of thinking and acting”, the Infos CTRI Officiel message said.
“He will remain pragmatic and true to his values.”
According to the account, members of Gabon’s defence and security forces make up 11% of the electorate in the country of 2.3 million people.
But despite his military strongman profile, Nguema has made efforts to portray himself as an empathetic leader who reaches out to the people.
To appeal to younger voters in a country where half the population is under 20, the general in December even gave out free tickets to a concert by L’Oiseau Rare, an icon of Gabon’s Ntcham music genre.
Candidates have until 8 March to confirm they intend to stand under a process that includes passing a language test, a medical exam and an asset declaration.
Around 20 would-be challengers to Nguema had already withdrawn last week, according to local media reports.
Nguema, who gives his official speeches in full army dress, has promised to address the issues facing the central African nation, notably its frequent and crippling power cuts.
To that end, Nguema was present on Friday for the connection of two floating power plants built by the Turkish firm Karpowership to the electrical grid of Libreville, where nearly half Gabon’s population lives.
But critics have accused him of failing to move the country on from its decades of rule under the Bongo family, whom he served for years.
He has also pledged to deal with the country’s debt burden, which has reached 70% of the GDP of a country rich in natural resources including timber and manganese.
In 2023, Gabon’s debt stood at 7.287 billion CFA francs (US$12 billion), of which 4.614 billion francs was owed to international creditors, prompting the International Monetary Fund to express concern over the burden.
On this, as with many other issues, Nguema’s government pointed the finger at the “catastrophic” results of the Bongo family’s 55 iron-fisted years in power.
In per capita terms, Gabon is one of the richest countries in Africa. Yet one in three people live below the poverty line, according to the World Bank.
-Nampa/AFP