Gabonese President appoints Alain-Claude Bilie By Nze as new Prime Minister

9 Jan. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The President of Gabon, Ali Bongo Ondimba, has appointed Alain-Claude Bilie By Nze as the new prime minister on Monday, replacing Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda, who will become the vice president of the African country.

“By decree of the President of the Republic, as of today, Alain-Claude Bilie By Nze is appointed Prime Minister,” said the Secretary General of the Presidency, Jean Yves Teale, in a statement collected by the AGP news agency. .

Rose Christiane Ossouka, who is currently 59 years old, was mayor of the capital, Libreville, and also held the position of Defense Minister in February 2019. After being prime minister, being the first woman to hold the position, she will now occupy the Vice Presidency of Gabon.

As in previous appointments, the change has occurred after months of uncertainty over the president’s health. Bongo suffered a stroke at the end of 2018 when he was in Saudi Arabia and spent several months hospitalized in that country and in Morocco before returning to Gabon.

Prior to his appointment as Prime Minister, Alain-Claude Bilié By Nze has held various ministerial posts, including Deputy Prime Minister for Energy and Water Resources, according to the aforementioned news agency.

President Bongo Ondimba came to power in 2009 after the death of his father, Omar Bongo, who ruled the country for 41 years after winning elections that were criticized by the opposition. In 2016 he was re-elected in an election whose results were not recognized by his rival, Jean Ping.