Raymond Ndong Sima, a former opposition leader, was chosen to lead Gabon’s transitional administration after the military took control last week in a coup.
Sima, a 68-year-old economist, was a vocal opponent of President Ali Bongo, who was ousted on August 30 by military officials. From 2012 to 2014, he was Bongo’s prime minister. After leaving that role, he campaigned against Bongo for president in 2016 and again this year as a member of an opposition coalition.
General Brice Oligui Nguema, the new strongman who was sworn in as interim president on Monday, issued an order authorising his appointment, which was announced on state television on Thursday.
Ndong Sima attended school in France after leaving his birthplace of Oyem in northern Gabon. In 1986, he was promoted to the cabinet of the Minister of Planning and the Economy, where he was given charge of structural adjustment and dealings with the World Bank and IMF.
He was appointed Director-General of the Economy in 1992, and he held that position until 1994 while continuing to be in charge of structural adjustment. Then, from 1994 to 1998, he served as Director-General of the state-owned rubber corporation Hévégab.
On October 17, 2009, Ndong Sima was appointed to the position of Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, and Rural Development.
Ndong Sima was elected to the National Assembly as a candidate in Kyé, which is located in Woleu-Ntem Province, in the December 2011 parliamentary election, in which the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) won a resounding majority of seats.
Paul Biyoghe Mba, the prime minister, resigned on February 13. Ndong Sima was then appointed prime minister by President Ali Bongo on February 27, 2012. Ndong Sima’s selection was notable because, despite being a Fang, he was from Woleu-Ntem Province in the north. In contrast, the position of Prime Minister was customarily given to an ethnic Fang from Estuaire Province.
For over two years, Ndong Sima was the prime minister. Daniel Ona Ondo was nominated by President Bongo to succeed Ndong Sima on January 24, 2014, following local elections in December 2013. Ona Ondo and Ndong Sima exchanged leadership during a ceremony on January 27.
Ndong Sima left the PDG in July 2015, claiming that the organisation was closed to criticism and alternative viewpoints. Additionally, since leaving office, he has attacked the government’s handling of the economy. Ndong Sima was called an opportunist in response, and PDG Secretary-General Faustin Boukoubi asserted that the PDG was internally democratic.