Gabon general declared election victor after bishops’ appeal to ‘choose unity’

‘The history of our country has gone through dark times, but today we have the opportunity to write a new history,’ the bishops said ahead of the vote.

General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema was declared the provisional winner of Gabon’s presidential election.

The military leader triumphed over seven other candidates, securing 90.35 per cent of the vote, according to the interior minister Herrmann Immongault.

The results, announced late on Sunday, show that 70.4 per cent of the 920,200 registered voters participated in the election. Around 2,450 observers – both national and international – stationed across 2,920 polling stations reported that the process was largely peaceful.

However, the Constitutional Court retains the authority to review and confirm the final results.

This election ended General Oligui’s 19-month transitional leadership. He rose to power through a bloodless coup two years ago, ending the Bongo dynasty’s 50-year reign. Omar Bongo governed from 1967 until his death in 2009, after which his son Ali Bongo Ondimba took power.

The coup on 30 August 2023 occurred just an hour after Ali Bongo Ondimba was declared the winner of a presidential election that would have initiated his third term.

Although the military junta had pledged to transition to civilian rule, a referendum later amended the constitution, allowing Oligui to seek an official mandate.

Before Saturday’s poll, Gabon’s Catholic bishops said the people of Gabon had a great opportunity to “turn a new page by choosing unity over division and truth over manipulation”.

“The year 2025, a Jubilee Year of Hope as decreed by Pope Francis, is capital and very decisive for our country, Gabon. The history of our country has gone through dark times, but today we have the opportunity to write a new history based on a common commitment for a just, transparent, and peaceful election,” the bishops said in a statement 5 April. 

“This presidential electoral cycle, which will mark the return to constitutional order, must be the beginning of a new chapter, more of a Gabon where transparency, truth, and peace prevail.”

They described elections as moments of mobilisation and an opportunity for all citizens to perform their duties by free and clear choice of leaders who will lead the destinies of the country.

“It is therefore imperative that this election, which opens the way, a common future and a harmonious living together, be the crux of the truth, justice, and peace. It must finally be that of human dignity, respect for the rights of citizens, and transparency,” the bishops said.

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