Gabon's President Nguema starts the year with major government reshuffle

Gabon’s President Brice Oligui Nguema started the New Year with a major government reshuffle.

It’s the latest step in the consolidating the political transition underway since the Nguema took power in 2023.

Hughes Alexandre Barro Chambrier becomes Vice-President of the Republic, while Hermann Immongault leaves the Ministry of Interior to take over as Vice-President of the government.

Immongault’s promotion is being seen as a reward for managing September’s legislative and parliamentary elections, which resulted in Nguema’s Democratic Union of Builders winning 101 of the 145 parliamentary seats.

Nguema also signed a decree formalising the make up of the new government. His team now has 31 ministers, up from 30, of whom 10 are women.

Nguema won a presidential election in April, two years after leading a coup that ended 55 years of the Bongo family rule in the country.