Gabon to vote in first presidential election since 2023 coup

By Gerauds Obangome

LIBREVILLE (Reuters) - Gabon holds a presidential election on Saturday, the first since a 2023 coup ended the Bongo family's 56-year dynasty and which the country's new military rulers hope will legitimise and cement their hold on power. 

Officers led by Brice Oligui Nguema took power in August 2023, the last in a three-year wave of coups that swept West and Central Africa and eroded decades of democratic gains in the region. 

Nguema, who initially promised to hand back power to civilians, declared himself head of the transitional government and last month announced his candidacy for Saturday's vote.

His main challenger is Bongo's former prime minister Alain Claude Bilie By Nze, who has created his own movement, "Together for Gabon", in an effort to distance himself from the Bongo regime. 

Nguema is tipped to win, given his advantages as incumbent and his popularity as the architect of the end to Ali Bongo's unpopular rule. But he also has a tight hold on power in which the senate, national assembly and constitutional court are stacked with loyalists, political analysts say. 

He has talked of a Gabon that "rises from the ashes" and describes himself as someone who will "build this nation."

That resonates for many in Gabon, a sparsely-populated country of around 2.5 million people where for decades a small political elite surrounding the Bongo family lived in oil-funded luxury while most others languished in poverty.

Ali Bongo's re-election in 2016, when official results showed him winning 95% of votes in his home province of Haut Ogooué, triggered angry riots in which protesters torched the parliament building.

Officers led by Nguema stepped in within minutes of Bongo declaring another handsome victory in 2023, dismissing it as a sham.

Since then, there have been some promising signs. The economy grew by 2.9% in 2024, up from 2.4% in 2023, driven in part by infrastructure projects implemented by the transitional government and increased production of commodities such as oil, manganese and timber, the World Bank says. 

Still, the country is over-reliant on its oil fields, output from which has long been in decline. Like Ali Bongo, Nguema has promised to diversify the economy and promote agriculture, industry and tourism. 

"I hope the election results will lead to more transparent and accountable governance," said Pépecy Ogouliguendé, a Gabonese civil society activist. "We, the citizens, aspire to improved living conditions, particularly in education, health, and infrastructure." 

Polling stations open at 8 am (0700 GMT) and close at 6 pm. Results are expected later that night. 

(Writing and additional reporting by Edward McAllister; Editing by Robbie Corey-Boulet and Sharon Singleton)