Voters in the oil-wealthy Gabon headed to the polls on Saturday in a presidential election that the nation’s military rulers hoped would legitimize their grip on energy.
It’s the first election since a 2023 military coup ended a political dynasty that lasted over 50 years. Analysts have predicted an overwhelming victory for the interim president who led the coup.
Some 920,000 voters, including over 28,000 overseas, are registered across more than 3,000 polling stations. A third of the nation’s 2.3 million folk are living in poverty despite its vast oil wealth.
The interim president, Gen. Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, 50, the venerable head of the republican guard, toppled President Ali Bongo Ondimba nearly two years ago. He hopes to consolidate his grip on energy for a seven-year time interval in administrative heart.
Bongo was placed under condominium arrest after the coup nevertheless freed a week later on account of health concerns. His wife and son were detained and charged with corruption and embezzlement of public funds. Bongo himself was no longer charged.
Following the coup, Oligui Nguema promised to “return energy to civilians” thru “credible elections.” Nonetheless he proclaimed himself the interim president and then a presidential candidate, following the adoption by the parliament of a new contentious electoral code allowing military personnel to hasten.
He has touted himself as a leader who wants to unify the Gabonese and give them hope, running his presidential campaign under the slogan: “We Produce Together.”
The nation’s new constitution, adopted in a referendum in November, has also station the presidential time interval at seven years, renewable as soon as, instead of the limitless fiver-year time interval. It also states family participants can’t succeed a president and has abolished the place of high minister.
A challenger with an anti-colonial approach
A total of eight candidates are running for president. Nevertheless, Oligui Nguema’s main challenger is Bongo’s venerable Prime Minister Alain Claude Bilie-By-Nze, who in a contemporary interview with The Associated Press pledged “a break with the archaic gadget and a new independence. Political, diplomatic and economic independence.”
In a station the place France is losing longstanding allies in many of its venerable colonies, Gabon stands out as one in all easiest a few the place that partnership has no longer been threatened. It calm has more than 300 French troops point to, one in all easiest two African nations calm hosting them.
Oligui Nguema has no longer signaled an end to the French military presence, nevertheless Bilie-By-Nze has said “no discipline is off limits” in renegotiating the ties between the two nations.
Bilie-By-Nze also said during the interview with AP that he didn’t examine the election to be fair or transparent. “Everything has been performed to lock down the vote,” he said.
Nevertheless, earlier this week, Laurence Ndong, spokeswoman for Oligui Nguema, denied the allegations, saying: “For the first time, Gabon will have a free and transparent election.”
Voters cast their ballots
Voters lined up early Saturday in the capital, Libreville, as the election improved peacefully.
Jonas Obiang advised the AP whereas waiting to cast his ballot in the working-class district of Damas that he would choose Bilie-By-Nze because he considered the 2023 coup as a continuation of the malpractice.
“General Oligui Nguema led the nation with the same those that plundered the nation, the venerable participants of the Bongo regime. I won’t vote for him,” he said.
His views were echoed by Antoine Nkili, a 27-year-archaic unemployed man with a master’s level in law.
“The preference is personal, nevertheless I’m telling you that for me, the military has failed,” Nkili said. “They promised to reform the institutions, nevertheless they haven’t. Instead, they’ve enriched themselves.”
Jean Bie, 57, who works in the construction sector, said the military rule has benefited the population.
“In 19 months, General Oligui Nguéma has achieved several projects expected of the venerable regime. I’m voting for him, hoping he’ll achieve more over the next seven years,” he said.
Additional sources • AP
