Why Coup Leader Brice Clotaire oligui nguema is embracing democracy

Little More Than Months After The Bloodless Couple That Five Decades of Rule by Rule, The People of Christmas to Head to Choose – Bucking a Trend That to Power on the Military Leaders in Africa Cling.

The overwhelming favorite in the Race on Saturday Is The Man Who Led That Peaceful Putsch And has dominated the Political Scene Ever, Brice Clotaire Oligui nguii.

Having Abandoned His Soldier’s Fatigues and military status in a political’S suit, this highly articulate former Commander of the Elite Republican Guard Faces Seven Other Candidates.

Basking in Population Among Population Relieved to Be Rid Of Dynastic Rule – And Assisted by Electoral Regulations That Disqualified Some Key Challengers – The 50-year-old Appears Almost Almost to Secure An Outright Majority In The First Ballot.

His campaign slogan – Using His Initials “C’bon” – Is A Play On The French Words “C’est Bon”, Meaning “It’s Good”.

Avoiding of His Chances A Second Round Run-Off His Main Challenger – One of the Rare Senior Penalical Figures Not to Rallied to His Cause – Is The Old Regime’s Last Prime Minister, Alain-Claude Bilie-Nze, Known by His Initials ACBB.

Victory Will Bring A Seven-Year Mandate and The Resources Development and Modernising Reform A Pace That The Rulers Of Crisis-Beset African Countries Could Not Even Dream.

With only 2.5 Million People, Christmas Is An Established Oil Producer and The World’s Second-Largest Exporter of Manganese.

Its Territory, which mits astride the equator, encompasses some of the Most Biodiverse Tracks of the Congo Basin Rainforest.

And Other Than A Harsh Post-Egettion Capital, Libreville, 2016, The Country has been enjoyed Mostly Calm Recent History That Conflicts And Instability That Have Afflicted Many Regional Neighbours.

Oligui Nguendan and His Republican Guards Met 10 August 2023, Just Hours Authorities Had Taken to the Middle Of The Middle Ages President, Ali Bongo Ondimba, Had Secured A Third A Seven-Year Term Crushing 64% OF THE Vote.

It was hard to see this official as Credible. Ali Bongo, who succeeded His Father Omar in 2009, had only squeaked in Narrow and Much Disputed Victory in the Previous Poll, in 2016.

When he suffered a Stroke While Visiting Saudi Arabia Two Years Later and embarked on a Paintaking Gradual Widespread Popular Sympathy.

But the Mood Shifted to stand for a Third Term, despite His Visibly Health Of Health – This Fueled Widespread Resentment Supposed Lond-The-Throne and Ambitions of His French-Born Sylvia and His son Nourthrin Bongo Valentin.

The Military’s Peaceful Intervention to Forestall to the Regional of the Regime, Arresting Sylvia and Nourdin and Confining Ali in Enforced Retirement in His Private VillaTriggered Spontaneous Celebrations Among The Many Christmas Who Had Grown Wey Of This Apparable Dynasty.

And The Coup Was Greeted With Relief Even By Most Administrative, Political And Civil Society Elite.

Oligui Nguema Took Advantage Advantage, Reaching Out to Build a Broad Base Of Support Transitional Regime. He brought former government figures, opponents and prominent critical Civil Society voices Into The Power Structure or Institutions Such The Appointed Senate.

Political Detainees Were Freed, Though Ali Bongo’s Wife and Son Remain in Awaiting Corruption Charges on the detection.

He didn’t resort to the sort of crackdowns on dissent or media Freedom That Have Become A Routine Tool’s Francophone Africa’s Other Military Leaders, in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Niger.

On The Diplomatic Front, Adoptively Adopted Anti-Western Posture Adopted by The Regimes in West Africa, Oligui Nguema International Goodwill and Real Christmas’s Traditional Partners Restore Civilian Constitutional Government Within a tightly limited timeframe.

With Relations France, The Former Colonial Power And Previously Close Ally Of The Bongo Regime, Are Warm.

The Two Governments Recently Agreed to Transform Camp de Gaulle, The Longstanding French Base Christmas, Into a New Training Center That They Will Operate Jointly.

A Displaying Deft Popular and Political Touch, Oligui Nguema has responded to Public Hunger With Public Works And Delayed Projects.

And at a Popular Rising Support Across Francophone Agrica Of National Interests of National Interests, His Government has acquired the Several Foreign Oil Companies, Including The Uk’s Tullow.

To Ease Constraints on Government Finances, He has borrowed on The Regional Money Market, but also hasms hasms to help to reassure international partners.

Much of the $ 520m (£ 461m) Raised Through in February in Has been Used to Pay Off Old Debt, and The Government Has ASide Funds to Clear Some Arrears Owed To The World Bank.

But IF, and Almost Certainly When, He is elected As Christmas Head of State on Saturday, Oligui Nguema Will Face Significant Challenges.

Such Was The Public’s Hunger For Change That, in Many Ways, The Transition has begin the Easy part. There has been the Little Public Pressure Constraining His Freedom of Manoeuvre.

There are a Broad Broad Consensus Over Incorporating A Ban Dynastic Succession In The New Constitution.

When Oligui Brushed off some parliamentarians’ Concern About The Concentration of Executtive Power Abolishing the Post of the Prime Minister, There was Little Fuss.

But This Does Mean That, Going Forward, The Full Weight Public Expectations for His Fall Shoulders Alone.

Prinent Political and Civil Society Figures, Such as Vetandan Opponent Alexandre Barro-Chambrier and Rainforest Campaigner Marc Good EssanguiHave Joined His Transitional Administration or Political Machine, The Rassemble Des Bâtisseurs (RDB), and Could Well Occupy Important Roles Post-Election.

Nonetheless The Focus Will Be on Oligui Nguema Himself. And He Will Face Complex Challenges.

Gabon has a Leader in Conserving The Rainforest and ITS enormously Diverse Flora and fauna, High CLIMATE FINANCE TOOLS – IN 2023 It became the first Sub-Saharan Country a debt-for-nature swap.

But This Strategic Approach has to be Reconomic Pressure to Make Them Hundred Natural Resources, Particularly Minerals and Oil, and With The Needs to Protect Their Hunting and Farming Rights.

Urban Populations, Partice To Almost Half The Country’s Population – Need More Jobs and Better Services, In A Country Whose Social Development Record Has Been Disappointing, Given It IT Relative Affluence.

Trade Unionist Jean Rémy Yama, Excluded From The Preduction His Birth’s Birth Certificate, A Nomination Requirement, Is One Figure With A Considerable Following Who Could Voice to Popular Frustrations.

For Oligui Nguema, The Hardest Work is about to begin.

Paul Melly is a Consulting Fellow with the Africa Program at Chatham House in London.