Omar Bongo

The Bongo family’s 56 year hold on power in Gabon was abruptly brought to an end with a military coup on 30 August. The military takeover happened hours after election results were announced that gave Ali Bongo Ondimba a third term. Gyldas Ofoulhast-Othamot, a professor of public and international affairs with published research on Gabon, explains factors that may have contributed to the ouster.

Did Gabon’s recent election stack up as ‘free and fair’?

• The presidential election on 26 August was the sixth since the formal end of the one-party state in 1990.
• The particular issue this time was that three elections (presidential, parliamentary and local) took place at once.
• In the context of autocratic and dynastic rule in Gabon, it was bound to be problematic.
• The many constitutional, legal and electoral changes before and after the elections severely undermined the integrity of the vote.

What are the weaknesses in Gabon’s political makeup?

• Political domination by a single family is the country’s main weakness.
• The political system has been tailored to serve the interests of one family only and its domestic and foreign allies.
• In some ways, Ali Bongo Ondimba’s attempt to go beyond the political equilibrium created by his father doomed him.

What about the economy? How are ordinary people faring?

• Well endowed in natural resources, Gabon is regarded by the World Bank as an upper-middle-income country with a GDP per capita of US$8,820.
• Gabon used to be called the “Kuwait of Africa” because of its oil and natural resources wealth and its small population of 2.3 million.
• Unemployment is said to be as high as 37%, with 35% of Gabonese living below the poverty line of US$2 a day.

What history does the military have in the country’s affairs?

• This time it appears that the military brass are all in, at least those who matter in the Republican Guard (GR in French).
• In my view the military has been central to the Bongo regime maintaining its power for all those years.
• For instance, in 1993 and 2016 when the Bongo regime was under duress, only military intervention and repression of opposition groups ensured its survival.
• The difference now is that it has decided to be king rather than staying behind the scenes as the kingmaker.

What difference is this coup likely to make?

• General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, the leader of the junta, does not appear to be related to the Bongo family.
• He entered the Bongo circle through his relationship with the long-time former commander of the Republican Guard, André Oyini.
• Given that proximity to the Bongo family, it looks like a palace revolution rather than true political change.