By Bashir M Bashir.
Brice Oligui Nguema, the military leader who took control of Gabon in a 2023 coup, has won the country’s presidential election with a huge lead. According to provisional results announced on Sunday, he received more than 90 percent of the votes.
This marks the first election since Nguema overthrew former president Ali Bongo in August 2023, ending over 50 years of Bongo family rule, which was widely criticized for corruption. Gabon’s Interior Minister, Hermann Immongault, said Nguema earned 90.35 percent of the vote, with about 90 percent of ballots counted.
His closest challenger, Alain-Claude Bilie By Nze, got just over 3 percent, while the six other candidates each received less than 1 percent.
Voter turnout was recorded at 70.4 percent — lower than the initial figure of 87 percent reported after the polls closed. The government explained the drop was due to voting difficulties faced by citizens living abroad.
Nguema, a 50-year-old general, had promised a return to civilian rule after the coup, but he announced his candidacy just last month and has now secured a strong victory.
