Gabon's Military Leader Gen Brice Oligui Nguema Wins Presidential Election

Brice Oligui Nguema has secured a decisive victory in the presidential election, obtaining 90.35% of the votes cast, according to provisional results. This outcome grants him a seven-year mandate and positions him to address longstanding issues of corruption that characterized the previous administration.

Nguema, 50, rose to prominence after leading the August 2023 coup that ousted former President Ali Bongo. The Bongo family had ruled Gabon since 1967, with their decades-long tenure marked by increasing public discontent.

In the recent election, Nguema faced seven challengers, including his main opponent, former Prime Minister Alain Claude Bilie-by-Nze, who garnered just over 3% of the vote. Bilie-by-Nze previously served under the Bongo regime. Other notable candidates included Stéphane Germain Iloko and Alain Simplice Boungouères, both prominent figures within the former ruling Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG).