Gabon coup leader records landslide victory in presidential election

General Brice Oligui Nguema, Gabon’s interim leader who staged a 2023 coup that ended a decades-long political dynasty, has been elected president of the central African nation.

Mr Oligui Nguema, 50, recorded a landslide victory with 90.35% of votes cast, defeating seven other candidates, including immediate past prime minister Alain Claude Bilie-By-Nze.

He came in a distant second with 3% of votes cast, interior minister Hermann Immongault said as he announced the provisional results.

The Interior Ministry announced a turnout of 87.21% in the election in which some 920,000 voters, including over 28,000 overseas, were registered to participate across more than 3,000 polling stations.

It is Gabon’s first election since the 2023 military coup that ended a political dynasty that lasted over 50 years.

It was seen as a crucial election for the nation’s 2.3 million people, a third of whom live in poverty despite its vast oil wealth.

Mr Bilie-By-Nze recently told The Associated Press that Mr Oligui Nguema took advantage of state resources to support his campaign. The government denies this.

Local observers deemed the conduct of the election satisfactory in nearly all the polling stations monitored.

At least 94.8% of the polling stations observed operated under satisfactory conditions while the transparency of operations was deemed satisfactory in 98.6% of cases, the Gabonese Civil Society Organisation’s Observation Mission said late on Saturday.

Mr Oligui Nguema, who has been serving as interim president, had his representatives present in 69.6% of the polling stations observed while Mr Bilie-By-Nze’s representation stood at just 8.2%, the observers said.

Mr Oligui Nguema, the former head of the country’s Republican Guard, toppled President Ali Bongo Ondimba nearly two years ago. He hopes to consolidate his grip on power for a seven-year term in office.

After casting his ballot on Saturday in the capital, Libreville, the interim president said he felt proud of the citizens seeking to “turn the page to join the new Republic”.

In a video message shared after he voted in the north of the country, Mr Bilie-By-Nze said he was concerned that unused voting cards could be used for potential electoral fraud.

Voters who spoke to the AP were divided on how the military has performed since taking over power in 2023, with most saying they have failed in their promises.

“I’m telling you that for me, the military has failed,” said Antoine Nkili, a 27-year-old unemployed man with a master’s degree in law. “They promised to reform the institutions but they haven’t. Instead, they’ve enriched themselves.”