General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema was formally inaugurated as Gabon’s president on Saturday, cementing his transition from coup leader to elected head of state nine months after overthrowing the Bongo dynasty that had ruled for 56 years.
The lavish ceremony at a packed 40,000-seat stadium north of Libreville saw about twenty African leaders witness the ascension of the former Republican Guard commander, including several long-serving presidents whose presence tacitly endorsed military transitions of power. Supporters clad in Oligui-branded T-shirts waved flags as the general took oath, marking Gabon’s most significant political shift since independence.
The August 2023 coup abruptly ended the Bongo family’s dynastic rule after soldiers seized power moments before announcing Ali Bongo’s disputed third-term victory. His father Omar Bongo had governed from 1967 until his death in 2009, making Gabon a byword for autocratic stability fueled by oil wealth but plagued by corruption allegations.
Analysts note the inauguration’s symbolism: Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang – in power since 1979 – stood alongside new-generation leaders like Senegal’s Bassirou Diomaye Faye, reflecting Africa’s complex political spectrum. Oligui now faces pressure to fulfill transitional promises of electoral reform while stabilizing an economy historically dominated by elite oil interests.
The ceremony conspicuously omitted Western diplomats, signaling Gabon’s pivot toward African partnerships after years of French influence. With the Bongos exiled, Gabon enters uncharted territory – its first leadership change in two generations not decided by inheritance or disputed elections.
