Top court confirms Gabon military leader Nguema’s presidential win

Gabon’s Constitutional Court confirmed Friday Transitional President Brice Oligui Nguema as the winner of the presidential election held earlier this month.

Nguema garnered 94.85% of the vote compared to his main challenger, the last prime minister of the ousted President Ali Bongo, Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze, who won 3.11%, according to the final results announced by the Constitutional Court.

Nguema’s votes increased by nearly 5% compared to the provisional results announced by the Interior Ministry the day after the election.

By-Nze, also saw a slight increase in his votes from 3.02% announced in the provisional results.

Seven-year term

The court said 642,632 people participated in the election out of 916,625 eligible voters.

The voter turnout was recorded at 70.11%.

Eight candidates were in the April 12 presidential election, the first since the 2023 bloodless military coup.

Gabon’s new constitution, adopted after last year’s referendum, provides for a seven-year presidential term that can be renewed once.

Nguema, 50, spearheaded a military coup in Gabon in August 2023 that ousted former President Bongo, ending the 56-year Bongo dynasty in the oil-producing Central African nation.

Nguema campaigned under the Rally of Builders, a platform which received backing from several political parties and associations.