A few months before the general elections, the President of Gabon, Ali Bongo, has appointed a new Prime Minister and promoted his former head of government to Vice-President.
It's no secret: Ali Bongo Ondimba will be a candidate for his own succession during the Gabonese presidential election, which will take place next October. But for several months, behind the scenes, the outgoing presidency has been active. With an astonishing game of musical chairs which began in September 2021. Then general coordinator of presidential affairs, Bongo's son, Noureddin Bongo Valentin, had been dismissed. However, some saw him taking over from his father in 2023.
At the time, the opponent Alexandre Barro Chambrier even spoke of “a grotesque staging of a character that we name today, that tomorrow we remove, that the day after tomorrow we will rename. These are sordid, suspicious maneuvers that pose great risks to democracy.” But a year and a half after the departure of Noureddin Bongo Valentin from his post, it is clear that this was not a political strategy aimed at placing him in the chair of the candidate of the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG). .
Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda, the new vice-president of Gabon
In recent days, rebelote. Gabon now has a new prime minister. The person in charge of Energy and Water Resources, Alain Claude Bilie-By-Nze, has indeed been appointed head of government. A way to prepare the ground for the next nine months, decisive for Ali Bongo? Because according to observers of local political life, Alain Claude Bilie-By-Nze should be President Bongo's campaign manager.
But it is the fate of Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda that questions. The now ex-Prime Minister has indeed been appointed Vice-President of Gabon. This position had been vacant since May 2019 and the dismissal of former opponent Pierre-Claver Maganga Moussavou. Ali Bongo's unwavering support, can Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda become Bongo's future runner-up? Nothing is less sure. But the fact that she inherits the post of vice-president – for the first time given to a woman – shows that we will have to count on her in the years to come.