Gabon’s Coup Leader Wins Presidential Election with Over 90% of Vote

Gen. Brice Oligui Nguema, the military leader who led Gabon’s 2023 coup, has officially won the country’s presidential election with a landslide victory, securing more than 90% of the votes, according to provisional results released by the interior ministry.

Oligui Nguema, 50, garnered 575,222 votes in Saturday’s election, outpacing his closest rival, former Prime Minister Alain Claude Bilie-by-Nze, who received just over 3% of the ballots. The announcement was made by Interior Minister Hermann Immongault.

His victory solidifies his grip on power nearly two years after he ousted President Ali Bongo and ended the Bongo family’s 56-year rule, which began in 1967.

While the government described the election as peaceful and transparent, opposition voices and observers reported various irregularities, including delayed voting and missing names on voter rolls. Concerns were also raised over unmarked ballot papers allegedly being kept insecurely, sparking fears of possible ballot box stuffing.

Critics had long argued that the new constitution and electoral code were tailored to ensure Oligui Nguema’s path to the presidency was unobstructed. Key opposition figures were notably excluded from the race, raising questions about the fairness of the democratic process.

Oligui Nguema faced seven challengers in total, including political veterans from the former ruling Parti Démocratique Gabonais (PDG) such as Stéphane Germain Iloko and Alain Simplice Boungouères. However, none posed a significant threat to his candidacy.

The election result grants Oligui Nguema a seven-year mandate to lead the oil- and timber-rich nation of just 2.5 million people, where around 35% of citizens live below the poverty line despite the country’s natural wealth.

The former commander of Gabon’s elite Republican Guard, Oligui Nguema has positioned himself as a reformer promising to dismantle the systemic corruption and mismanagement that characterized the Bongo era. His popularity surged following the 2023 coup, as many citizens welcomed the end of a decades-long dynastic regime.

Now officially at the helm through electoral means, all eyes will be on whether Oligui Nguema can deliver the change and accountability he has promised — or if his rule will follow the path of many military leaders turned presidents in the region.