How did Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema become Gabon’s transitional president in 2023?

Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema became Gabon’s transitional president following a military coup in August 2023. After the government announced that incumbent president Ali Bongo had won reelection in a contest widely criticized for lacking credibility, a group of military officers identifying as the Committee for Transition and Restoration of Institutions seized power and dissolved state institutions.12

The military committee cited poor governance and the lack of credible election results as justifications for the takeover. On the same day as the coup, Nguema—a relative of Bongo—was named president of the committee. He was officially sworn in as the country’s transitional president on September 4, 2023. This transition eventually led to a new constitution and subsequent elections in 2025, in which Nguema was elected to a seven-year term.12