Gabon pledges to respect agreements with partners

LIBREVILLE (Reuters) - Gabon's interim president Rose Francine Rogombe has pledged the central African country will respect its agreements with foreign partners during a transition expected to lead to new presidential elections.

Rogombe, head of the country's Senate, was sworn in as caretaker leader on Wednesday after the death this week of veteran President Omar Bongo, ending more than four decades of tight rule in the oil-producing former French colony.

"The country must continue to function. I call on people to be calm, responsible and vigilant," Rogombe said in a broadcast on national television late on Wednesday.

"As for our development partners, let me assure them that our country will continue to respect all of its commitments," she said.

Bongo's death in a Spanish clinic on Monday left a power vacuum. His personality so dominated the political scene since he took power in 1967 that the opposition had little chance to gain popular support, raising fears about how the transition would be handled.

The constitution gives Rogombe 45 days to hold elections to select a new head of state, although her time in office can be extended if the constitutional court declares force majeure.

Analysts say long-term investors such as French energy firm Total or Royal Dutch Shell are unlikely to be phased by anything other than a long period of instability.

Investors in Gabon's $1 billion Eurobond will meanwhile be looking for little more than a continued commitment by the new administration to buy back the issue.

Bongo's successes in easing ethnic tensions are likely to reduce the risk of turmoil during the transition but differences within the ruling elite could trigger a power struggle.

Many Gabonese say Defence Minister Ali Ben Bongo, Bongo's son, has been groomed for power and that his control of the security forces bolsters his chances of securing the succession.

But he could face opposition from his brother-in-law, Foreign Minister Paul Toungui, while African Union Chairman Jean Ping, a long-time Bongo ally, and Vice-President Didjob Divungi Di Ndinge have also been cited as possible successors.

"What is at stake in the transition is the transparency of the process leading to the organisation of a democratic, transparent and credible election," said Georges Mpaga, head of the good governance network, a civil society group in Gabon.

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(Writing by Nick Tattersall; Editing by Giles Elgood)