Former Gabon army general, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, was formally sworn in as Gabon's president on Saturday, marking the end of a 19-month transitional period under military rule as the country returns to constitutional governance.
Nguema first rose to power in August 2023 when he led a coup that toppled Ali Bongo Ondimba, ending the Bongo family's 56-year hold on the presidency, and installing himself as head of the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions.
In the countrys April 12 election, the first since the coup, he secured an overwhelming mandate, winning 94.85 percent of the vote against seven challengers, a result ratified by Gabon's Constitutional Court on April 25.
As he assumes full presidential powers, Nguema has pledged to diversify Gabon's oil-dependent economy by developing agriculture, industry and tourism, while strengthening democratic institutions and addressing youth unemployment
