Gabon interim president Nguema will run in April presidential election

LIBREVILLE (Reuters) -Gabon's interim President Brice Oligui Nguema, who turned 50 on Monday, announced his decision to run as a candidate in the Central African nation's presidential election set for April 12.

Nguema seized power in a military coup in 2023, the eighth in West and Central Africa between 2020 and 2023, that ended the long-standing rule of his predecessor Ali Bongo and his family over the oil-rich but impoverished nation.

While Gabonese largely welcomed Bongo's ouster, some analysts were concerned the junta would seek to remain in power.

In November, Gabon approved a new constitution by a landslide after a referendum that military authorities promised would be a stepping stone to democratic rule.

The new charter did not bar Nguema from running for the presidency, which is the case for other transitional leaders.

"After careful consideration and in response to your numerous appeals, I have decided to stand as a candidate in the presidential election on 12 April 2025," Nguema told his supporters under a heavy downpour in Gabon's capital Libreville.

"I am ready to preside over the destiny of our country."

Gabon's council of ministers had announced the April election date in January.

(Reporting by Gerauds Wilfried Obangome;Writing by Anait MiridzhanianEditing by Bate Felix, Sofia Christensen and Sharon Singleton)

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