Gabon military junta announces elections to be held in 2025

Gabon's military junta announced on Monday that it intends to hold elections in August 2025, two years after it seized power from President Ali Bongo.

Regime spokesperson, Ulrich Manfoumbi Manfoumbi, outlined plans for "elections and end of the transition" in an address on live state television.

He said the cabinet had adopted an "indicative" transition time frame that will need to be approved at a national conference next year.

The Inclusive National Dialogue would be held in April 2024 and comprise all of the country's "vital actors," he said.

Military rule in Gabon

The dates are subject to change, but it is the first indication of a transition away from military rule since coup leader General Brice Oligui Nguema took power on August 30 after a disputed election.

The official results indicated a third term for Bongo, who had been in power since 2009 and who himself took over from his late father, who had ruled Gabon since 1967

Opponents say the Bongo family did little to share Gabon's oil and mining wealth with its 2 million citizens.

The military junta has also accused Bongo's wife and eldest son of manipulating the former president, who suffered from a stroke in 2018.

zc/lo (AFP, Reuters)