Gabonese citizens headed to the polls on Saturday for a landmark presidential election, one poised to elevate junta leader Brice Oligui Nguema to the role of the country’s first elected head of state since he seized power in 2023.
Oligui, the general who orchestrated the August 30, 2023, coup that ended over five decades of Bongo family dominance, has maintained a commanding lead in opinion polls.
The Bongos had long been accused of siphoning off the wealth of the oil-rich central African nation.
In the capital Libreville, long queues stretched outside polling units, with citizens eager to vote in the closely watched election.
One such voter, 30-year-old casino croupier Aurele Ossantanga Mouila, cast his ballot for the first time. “I did not have confidence in the earlier regime,” he said.
After the coup, Oligui assumed the role of transitional president and initiated the formation of a civilian-inclusive government tasked with drafting a new constitution.
The election comes as Gabon grapples with widespread joblessness, infrastructural decay, erratic access to water and electricity, and mounting national debt.
Out of the country’s 10,000 kilometers of roads, only 2,000 are functional, official data reveals. The sole railway line also faces frequent derailments, while rural youth unemployment surpasses 60 percent.
As he campaigned for a seven-year mandate, Oligui shed his military fatigues, facing off against seven contenders, among them Alain-Claude Bilie By Nze, a former prime minister under ousted president Ali Bongo.
About 920,000 registered voters were expected to participate, with polling open from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. local time. The final results are anticipated on Monday.
At his campaign’s final rally in Libreville, Oligui declared, “The builder is here, the special candidate, the one you called,” as supporters danced to upbeat music. He has predicted a “historic victory” at the polls.
Yet detractors argue Oligui has not distanced himself from the corruption-ridden past he once served under. Despite promises to return power to civilians, critics say his ties to the previous regime remain strong.
His face, emblazoned on campaign posters with the slogan “C’BON” — cleverly merging “It’s good” in French with his initials, dominates the capital, while his opponents’ presence is scarcely visible.
Main challenger Bilie By Nze has positioned himself as a candidate seeking a total break from the past.
He criticized Oligui for representing a continuation of the entrenched system. Oligui’s own history includes service as aide-de-camp to Omar Bongo and later as head of the presidential guard under Ali Bongo.
Regardless of who emerges victorious, the winner will face towering expectations in a country where, despite its rich natural resources, nearly one in three citizens lives below the poverty line, according to World Bank figures.
The national debt climbed to 73.3 percent of GDP last year, with projections suggesting it may reach 80 percent by year’s end.
Political analyst Neyer Kenga identified the return to constitutional governance as a central theme of the election.
“Today all Gabonese are firmly in favour of a democratic game that is played within the rules,” she stated.
Authorities have promised a transparent and inclusive vote, hoping to avoid a repeat of past election-related violence seen in 2009 and 2016.
Reflecting on Gabon’s tumultuous political history, Kenga added, “The people’s response at the ballot box is never known in advance.”
