Gabon’s military rulers on Thursday appointed Raymond Ndong Sima, a prominent opponent to ousted president Ali Bongo Ondimba, as interim prime minister.
Ndong Sima, a 68-year-old economist, served as prime minister under Bongo from 2012 to 2014 before becoming a critic and eventually challenging him in elections in 2016 and 2023.
He regularly accused Ali Bongo of bad governance, going so far as to run against the head of state.
This year, he joined the Alternance 2023 platform after having presented himself and had therefore withdrawn his candidacy to make way for a consensual candidate, Albert Ondo Ossa.
Sima is, first and foremost, an economist originally from the country’s north.
He did part of his studies in France before joining the Gabonese ministry of economy.
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A member of the presidential party, the Gabonese Democratic Party, he was appointed minister of agriculture, livestock and fisheries in 2009. Two years later, he also obtained a deputy seat.
His appointment was made in a decree by the new military head of state, General Brice Oligui Nguema, who was sworn in as interim president Monday after the coup.
