| Post | Vice President |
|---|---|
| Body | the Gabonese Republic |
| Native name | Vice-président de la République gabonaise |
| Insignia | Coat of arms of Gabon.svg |
| Insigniasize | 125px |
| Insigniacaption | Coat of arms of Gabon |
| Incumbent | Alexandre Barro Chambrier |
| Incumbentsince | 1 January 2026 |
| Appointer | President of Gabon |
| Formation | February 1961 |
| First | Paul-Marie Yembit |
The vice president of Gabon (French: Vice-président du Gabon) is a political position in Gabon. The vice president's role is to assist the president and the person serving as vice president has no interim role in the event of a power vacuum.
The current vice president is Alexandre Barro Chambrier, who was appointed by president Brice Oligui Nguema on 1 January 2026.[1] His predecessor Séraphin Moundounga held the office from 5 May 2025 to 1 January 2026.[2]
History of the office
Original office
Changes in the Constitution of 1966 made the vice president the automatic successor of the president in case of a vacancy in the latter office.[3] Albert-Bernard Bongo was appointed as vice president in 1966 with the expectation that he would constitutionally succeed the ailing president Leon M'ba, and he did so following M'ba's death in November 1967. In April 1975 the position of vice president was abolished and its functions were given to the prime minister.[3]
Restored office
The position of vice president was restored in 1997 as a position appointed by the president of Gabon. The vice president acted as the president's deputy, but was not the constitutional successor of the president in the event of a vacancy in the latter office. President Ali Bongo abolished the office in October 2009.[3]
Description of the office
The president of the republic is assisted by a vice president of the republic.[4]
The vice president of the republic is nominated by the president of the republic, who can terminate his or her duties, after the consultation of the presidents of the two chambers of Parliament of Gabon. The vice president of the republic may be chosen from the members of Parliament, or outside the legislature.[4]
The functions of the vice president of the republic are incompatible with the exercise of all other public and private functions of a lucrative character.[5]
The vice president of the republic takes the oath of office before the president of the republic and in the presence of the Constitutional Court, according to the terms below:[6]
I promise to respect the Constitution and the State of Law, to fill conscientiously the duties of my position in the strictest respect of the obligation of loyalty and confidentiality to the Chief of State.
The vice president of the republic stands in for the president of the republic in the duties that the president delegates to him.[7]
The manner in which the present article may be applied is fixed by an organic law.[7]
The functions of the vice president of the republic end at the issuing of the proclamation of the next presidential election results by the Constitutional Court and in the case of a vacancy in the presidential office for whatever reason, or a permanent impairment of the current president of the republic.[8]
The vice president of the republic is a member of the Council of Ministers by right. If appropriate, the vice president may substitute the president of the republic through express authorization and a defined order of business.[9]
List of officeholders
- Political parties
- Other factions
- Status
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Political party | President(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
| 1 | Paul-Marie Yembit (1917–1978) | February 1961 | November 1966 | BDG | M'ba | ||
| 2 | Albert-Bernard Bongo (1935–2009)[10] | November 1966 | November 1967 | BDG | M'ba | ||
| 3 | Léon Mébiame (1934–2015) | 1968 | April 1975 | 7 years | PDG | O. Bongo | |
| Post abolished (April 1975–May 1997) | |||||||
| 4 | Didjob Divungi Di Ndinge (born 1946) | May 1997 | October 2009 | ADERE | O. Bongo Himself Rogombé | ||
| Post abolished (October 2009–August 2017) | |||||||
| 5 | Pierre Claver Maganga Moussavou (born 1952) | 21 August 2017[11] | 21 May 2019 | PSD | A. Bongo | ||
| 6 | Rose Christiane Raponda[12][13] (born 1963) | 9 January 2023 | 30 August 2023 (Deposed in a coup) | PDG | A. Bongo | ||
| 7 | Joseph Owondault Berre[14] (born 1945) | 11 September 2023 | 5 May 2025 | Independent | Oligui | ||
| 8 | Séraphin Moundounga (born 1964) | 5 May 2025 | 1 January 2026 | RPM | Oligui | ||
| 9 | Alexandre Barro Chambrier (born 1958)[15] | 1 January 2026 | Incumbent | RPM | Oligui | ||
See also
References
- ^ https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20260102-gabon-le-pr%C3%A9sident-brice-oligui-nguema-annonce-la-formation-de-son-gouvernement
- ^ "Gabon: Séraphin Moundounga appointed Vice-President of the Republic!". Gabon Media Time. 5 May 2025. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
- ^ US Department of State
- ^ Article 14a of the Constitution of 1991.
- ^ Article 14b of the Constitution of 1991.
- ^ Article 14c of the Constitution of 1991.
- ^ Article 14d of the Constitution of 1991.
- ^ Article 14e of the Constitution of 1991.
- ^ Article 16 of the Constitution of 1991.
- ^ Africa News Update Archived December 31, 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Mathieu Olivier, "Gabon : le nouveau gouvernement a été nommé, Pierre Claver Maganga Moussavou vice-président", Jeune Afrique, 22 August 2017 (in French).
- ^ "Gabon: Rose Christian Ossouka Raponda named first-ever female VP". 9 January 2023. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ "Gabon Names Vice-President and New Prime Minister". 9 January 2023. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ "Gabon: Joseph Owondault Berre nommé vice-président de la transition" (in fr-FR). ACP. 12 September 2023.
- ^ https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20260102-gabon-le-pr%C3%A9sident-brice-oligui-nguema-annonce-la-formation-de-son-gouvernement
External links
- 1991 Constitution of Gabon (as amended in 2011) (in English)