LIBREVILLE - Gabon's top court has ruled
that the vice president will chair the cabinet in the absence of
President Ali Bongo, who remains in hospital in Saudi Arabia
after suffering a stroke last month.
The decision, announced by the constitutional court on
Wednesday, is the first move to fill the vacuum left after Bongo
was admitted to hospital during a conference on Oct. 24.
Bongo has not been seen in public since and his state of
health is unknown. The government said he suffered a bout of
fatigue and is recovering, but sources told Reuters that he had
a stroke.
"Only the president has the power to chair the Council of
Ministers. Unfortunately he is temporarily unavailable for
health reasons, and temporary unavailability is not addressed by
the constitution," said Gabon's Prime Minister Emmanuel Issoze
Ngondet, who leads the cabinet.
The Bongo family has ruled the oil-producing country for
nearly half a century. Bongo has been president since succeeding
his father, Omar, who died in 2009. His re-election in 2016 was
marred by claims of fraud and violent protest.