Gabon officially ends transition period as President-elect Oligui Nguema takes office

LIBREVILLE -- The Gabonese government announced Friday night in a statement that the transition period established after the coup of Aug 30, 2023, officially ends this Saturday with the swearing-in ceremony of President-elect Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema.

The statement, read by Ulrich Manfoumbi, spokesperson for the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions (CTRI), noted that the military personnel would return to their barracks.

The CTRI itself has been dissolved. However, the two chambers of the Transitional Parliament, the Transitional Constitutional Court, and the Transitional Economic and Environmental Council will remain operational until their renewal, according to the statement.

Initially planned for two years, the transition ultimately lasted 19 months, culminating in an overwhelming victory for transitional President Oligui Nguema, who secured 94.85 percent of the votes in the presidential election held on April 12.

President-elect Oligui Nguema will be sworn in on Saturday at the Sino-Gabonese Friendship Stadium in Libreville, the capital of Gabon. The ceremony will be followed by the formation of a new government, which will lead the country until the next legislative and local elections, the dates of which have yet to be announced.