Home West Africa Gabon’s Interim president, Gen. Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema Frontrunner in Presidential Elections

West Africa

Gabon’s Interim president, Gen. Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema Frontrunner in Presidential Elections

April 13, 2025

Voters in the oil-rich Gabon headed to the polls on Saturday in a presidential election that the country’s military rulers hoped would legitimise their grip on power. Some 920,000 voters, including over 28,000 overseas, are registered across more than 3,000 polling stations. A third of the country’s 2.3 million people live in poverty despite its vast oil wealth

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The interim president, Gen. Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, 50, the former head of the Republican Guard, hopes to consolidate his grip on power for a seven-year term in office.

Voters in the oil-rich Gabon headed to the polls on Saturday in a presidential election that the country’s military rulers hoped would legitimise their grip on power. Some 920,000 voters, including over 28,000 overseas, are registered across more than 3,000 polling stations. A third of the country’s 2.3 million people live in poverty despite its vast oil wealth.

The interim president, Gen. Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, 50, the former head of the Republican Guard, hopes to consolidate his grip on power for a seven-year term in office.

Bongo was placed under house arrest after the coup but freed a week later due to health concerns. His wife and son were detained and charged with corruption and embezzlement of public funds. Bongo himself was not charged.

Oligui Nguema promised to “return power to civilians” through “credible elections.” However, he proclaimed himself the interim president and then a presidential candidate, following the parliament’s adoption of a new contentious electoral code that allowed military personnel to run. A total of eight candidates are running for president.

Oligui Nguema has not signaled an end to the French military presence, but Bilie-By-Nze has said “no subject is off limits” in renegotiating the ties between the two countries.