Raphaël Edzang, who secured the party presidency on February 21, will officially assume command of the Rassemblement pour le Gabon (RPG) this coming Saturday, June 27. The pivotal ceremony is scheduled to take place at the party’s headquarters, nestled in the Petit Paris district of Libreville.
During this investiture, the newly appointed president will articulate his strategic vision, outline the party’s direction for the years ahead, and address pressing national issues that currently dominate the public discourse.
“The RPG means change, and change is now,” declares the party’s fresh slogan, unveiled by the new leadership team succeeding Laurent Angué Mezui’s tenure.
Through this powerful motto, the party’s new strongman aims to inject renewed dynamism into the political formation. His focus is squarely on championing truth, fostering development, and cultivating a closer alignment with the genuine aspirations of the Gabonese populace.
Raphaël Edzang also harbors ambitions to strategically reposition the RPG, transforming it into a proactive force for proposals and an indispensable player within the national political landscape.
An accomplished economist and senior civil servant, Raphaël Edzang was born on October 25, 1970, in Ellelem 1, situated in the Woleu Ntem province. Notably, he served at the Directorate General of Public Procurement (DGMP), where he held the significant position of Director of Public Procurement Procedures.
His journey within the RPG began in 2009, taking on the role of a mission officer for the party president. From that point, he remained steadfast in the party’s ranks, which subsequently endorsed his candidacy for legislative elections in 2011, 2018, 2023, and 2025.
The RPG was founded in the late 1990s by Paul Mba Abessole, emerging from the remnants of the divided Rassemblement national des bucherons (RNB). It initially established itself as a formidable historical opposition force before eventually integrating into the presidential majority under the late President Omar Bongo Ondimba, whom it had once fiercely contested.
