Gabon president appoints new prime minister
Feb 28, 2012, 10:02 AM
LIBREVILLE, Gabon (AP) – Gabon’s president has appointed the agricultural minister as the Central African country’s new prime minister.
A presidential decree read late Monday said Raymond Ndong Sima will serve as the new leader. The country held parliamentary elections in December. Despite boycotts by the opposition, the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party won the most seats.
Sima replaces Paul Mba Biyoghe, who stepped down earlier this month as part of protocol.
The son of Gabon’s late dictator, who ruled for 41 years until his death in 2009, President Ali Bongo won a contested presidential election several months later. The vote was deemed flawed by many observers and triggered widespread violence.
The president insists that his government has strong institutions and is building a democratic system in the oil-rich country.
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