As Gabon elects a new president today

Gabon votes today to pick a president, 19 months after the end of more than five decades of the Bongo dynasty. The Bongo dynastic rule was widely viewed as corrupt before junta chief Brice Oligui Nguema hijacked power in the August 2023 coup. Voters are expected to head to the polls between 7.30am and 6pm […]

Gabon votes today to pick a president, 19 months after the end of more than five decades of the Bongo dynasty.

The Bongo dynastic rule was widely viewed as corrupt before junta chief Brice Oligui Nguema hijacked power in the August 2023 coup.

Voters are expected to head to the polls between 7.30am and 6pm (0630 and 1700 GMT) today.

The central African nation’s interior ministry has promised to release the results by April 16 at the latest.

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Junta chief Brice Oligui Nguema is the hot favourite to become the oil-rich country’s first elected leader after the coup.

Oligui has been serving as the transitional President of Gabon since August 30, 2023. He rose to prominence after leading a peaceful coup that ended over five decades of rule by the Bongo family.

Before assuming the presidency, he was the Commander-in-Chief of the Gabonese Republican Guard, a key position in the country’s military hierarchy.

Oligui is known for his focus on democratic reforms and modernisation. His leadership has been marked by efforts to transition Gabon towards a more inclusive and transparent political system.

He is also a strong advocate for economic development and environmental conservation, given Gabon’s rich biodiversity and natural resources.

The 50-year-old career soldier has predicted a “historic victory” for himself against seven other hopefuls.

Oligui, throughout a truncated campaign, has sought to shed his military strongman image, tapping into social media dance trends while styling himself as the “candidate of the people”.

To comply with the new electoral code voted on in January, the junta chief has even temporarily hung up his general’s uniform to run for a seven-year term.

“He has brought change. We’ve noticed that in a year and a half he has done what the others had not been able to do in 50 years,” said 49-year-old teacher Karen Minkoue, attending a rally on the Saturday before the vote.

But critics accuse Oligui, who had promised to hand power back to civilians, of failing to move on from the years of plunder of the country’s vast mineral wealth under the Bongos, whom he served for years.

Oligui’s image has been plastered all over the capital Libreville alongside his campaign slogan “C’BON” – a play on the French words for “It’s good” and the junta chief’s initials – while those of his rivals are nowhere to be seen.

 

 Other candidates

The other candidates are Alain-Claude Bilie By Nze, the last prime minister under ousted leader Ali Bongo, widely considered Oligui’s most credible challenger.; tax inspector Joseph Lapensee Essingone; doctor Stephane Germain Iloko Boussengui; senior civil servant Alain Simplice Boungoueres; and three entrepreneurs in Axel Stophene Ibinga Ibinga, Thierry Yvon Michel Ngoma and Zenaba Gninga Chaning – the sole woman in the race.

Bilie By Nze, often referred to as “Bilie,” previously served as Gabon’s Prime Minister from January 9 to August 30, 2023, before being deposed during the 2023 military coup.

Known for his long-standing association with the Bongo family, Bilie has held various ministerial roles, including Minister of Communications, Minister of Energy and Water Resources, and Deputy Prime Minister.

In 2024, Bilie distanced himself from the Bongo regime by leaving the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) and forming his own political movement, “Together for Gabon.” His campaign focuses on presenting himself as a credible opposition leader, emphasising the need for change while addressing concerns about his ties to the old political order. Bilie advocates for democratic reforms and aims to rebuild trust in governance.

Another candidate is Joseph Lapensée Essingone, a 53-year-old Gabonese politician. He is known as “the candidate of rupture and unity,” aiming to address Gabon’s economic and social challenges.

Essingone has a background in public administration, having worked extensively in Gabon’s tax administration. He holds a Master’s degree in Public Finance and Social Law from the University of Lyon and has pursued further studies in France.

His campaign focuses on restoring state authority, modernising the judiciary, and improving public services. He also advocates for free education and healthcare, economic reforms, and decentralisation of power.

Essingone envisions a “dignified and prosperous Gabon” and has proposed bold ideas, such as a potential union between Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

Also on the ballot today is Dr Stéphane Germain Iloko Boussengui, who is an independent candidate. He describes himself as “the doctor who will heal Gabon,” focusing on addressing corruption, unemployment, and inequality.

His campaign emphasises social justice, national unity, and improving healthcare and education. He has proposed initiatives like financial support for unemployed graduates and the elderly. Dr. Iloko Boussengui is committed to building a Gabon that values dignity, solidarity, and inclusivity.

Alain Simplice Boungoueres is another candidate in Gabon’s presidential election today. He is the leader of the Movement of Gabonese Citizens (MCG) and emphasises national reconciliation as the cornerstone of his campaign.

Boungoueres has proposed the creation of a Sovereign Fund for National Forgiveness (FSPN), with a budget of 40 billion CFA francs, aimed at supporting the return of political exiles and addressing past injustices. His vision is to foster unity and development in Gabon.

With over 29 years of experience in civil engineering, transport economics, and mining expertise, Boungoueres brings a strong technical and administrative background. He has expressed his commitment to transparent governance, reducing government expenses, and promoting social and economic reforms. His campaign is built on the principles of hope, unity, and progress.

Axel Stophène Ibinga Ibinga, the only independent candidate in Gabon’s presidential election today, is known for his bold and unconventional ideas. He aims to “reinvent Gabon” by replacing traditional political structures with a focus on economic productivity.

His campaign emphasises creating jobs, fostering entrepreneurship, and reducing reliance on public funding for political parties.

Ibinga advocates for a debt-free economic model, proposing a budget that eliminates unnecessary expenses and prioritises education, healthcare, and infrastructure. He envisions a Gabon where citizens are empowered to contribute actively to the nation’s growth through innovation and hard work.

With a background in entrepreneurship and a commitment to transformative governance, he has positioned himself as a candidate of change, aiming to inspire a new era of economic and social progress in Gabon.

Another candidate on the ballot today is Thierry Yvon Michel Ngoma, who is a strong advocate for Gabon’s full independence, aiming to break away from the influence of “Françafrique” and the use of the Franc CFA. His campaign focuses on economic sovereignty, proposing the repatriation of financial reserves and the creation of a new currency.

Ngoma also emphasises social reforms, including free healthcare and improved living conditions for Gabonese citizens.

He envisions a Gabon free from colonial-era agreements and foreign military bases, advocating for a self-reliant and sovereign nation. With a background in human resources and entrepreneurship, Ngoma brings a practical approach to his vision of transformative governance.

The last name on the list is Zenaba Gninga Chaning, the only female candidate in the presidential election today. Her campaign focuses on addressing social inequality, improving housing, and fostering national unity. She has proposed an ambitious programme for free social housing to support vulnerable communities and aims to combat tribalism and exclusion.

Chaning emphasises the importance of solidarity and inclusivity, presenting herself as a voice for the marginalised.

With a background in entrepreneurship, she advocates for reforms in education, healthcare, and anti-corruption measures. Her vision is to create a Gabon where resources benefit all citizens, and she calls for a government that prioritises the well-being of its people.

 

The task ahead

Whoever wins will have to meet the high hopes of a country where one in three people lives below the poverty line despite its vast resource wealth, according to the World Bank.

Voters will expect their future president to fix the outdated electric grid and road network, create jobs, and diversify the country’s petrol-dependent economy – all while labouring under Gabon’s hefty debt burden.

After 55 years of iron-fisted rule by the Bongos, who were accused of looting its wealth, Gabon was prey to “financial evaporation”, Budget Minister Charles Mba said.

“From 2010 to 2023, we had an investment budget of 18,000 billion CFA francs ($29 billion), and we did nothing because we didn’t see any roads, hospitals, schools, universities,” he said on state television.

While the lack of infrastructure is glaring, the administration is also inefficient and bloated – Gabon has a motorway department but no motorway.

Despite successive plans, only 2,000 of the 10,000 kilometres (6,213 miles) of roads in the country are “usable”, according to official data.

Derailments are frequent on the sole rail link, the Trans-Gabon Railway, which runs from east to west, linking mining regions with the capital, Libreville and the mineral port of Owendo.

The state of the around 700 km of track has severely deteriorated in the half century or so since it was laid through equatorial forest.

The only electricity network, operated by public enterprise SEEG, regularly suffers breakdowns, which are a source of public discontent.

“No structural investment has been made in the past 20 years,” while energy consumption needs virtually doubled between 2010 and 2024, according to SEEG interim administrator Steve Saurel Legnongo.

UN resident coordinator in Libreville, Savina Ammassari, warned that change would take time.

“Matters have gradually deteriorated and today there is a major effort to turn a page… although things cannot be changed overnight,” she said.

“We had everything we needed to succeed: oil, manganese, uranium… We thought we didn’t have to do anything since everything fell from the sky,” Industry Minister Lubin Ntoutoume said.

While the oil industry, the country’s chief economic pillar, has generated billions in annual profits since the first wells were drilled in the 1950s, debt has continued to spiral.

Two years ago, it was 72.1 percent of gross domestic product, rising to 73.3 per cent last year and is projected to reach 80 per cent this year.

At the same time, the country anticipates a depletion of its oil resources.

Gabonese production has halved over the past 30 years, falling from 500,000 barrels of oil per day at its peak in 1996, to 250,000 barrels per day by this year, according to the International Monetary Fund. Falling oil prices this week and the barrage of US tariffs are not going to help.

The decline is due to depleting mature oilfields and the absence of the discovery of major new reserves.

Over that same timeframe, the population has more than doubled, from 1.1 to 2.3 million.

But in 50 years, the average income per capita has fallen by half, and more than a third of the population lives below the poverty line, according to the World Bank.

Youth unemployment hovers around 40 per cent, rising to more than 60 per cent in rural areas, official data shows.

Seeking a seven-year presidential term, Oligui promises “growth towards happiness” as he campaigns around the country.

“An oil-producing country doesn’t starve… Don’t be afraid! Don’t believe those who tell you the country is in a bad way,” he said in the western town of Donguila, pledging to convince private bankers and international lenders to support his plans to build up the nation.

Financial analysts advocate for public spending cuts and reassessing the tax base.

Analyst Neyer Kenga likewise pointed to “the return to constitutional order” as one of the key campaign issues, in the hope the vote puts an end to the country’s strife.

In the past weeks, the interior ministry has been at pains to insist today’s vote will be “a transparent ballot and an election accessible” to all, a claim many analysts disagree with.

“Today all Gabonese are firmly in favour of a democratic game that is played within the rules,” said Neyer Kenga.

Following years marked by a post-vote crisis in 2009 and 2016’s bloodily repressed protests – not to mention the August 2023 coup – “the people’s response at the ballot box is never known in advance,” she added.