Gabon’s Constitutional Court formally ratified General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema’s landslide victory in the 12 April presidential election, solidifying his transition from military leader to civilian president, according to AP News.
Nguema, who seized power in a 2023 coup, secured 94.85% of the vote, a 5% increase from provisional results.
The court’s final tally of 58,074 votes for Nguema dwarfed the 3% garnered by his closest rival, former Prime Minister Alain Claude Bilie-By-Nze, who accused the interim president of exploiting state resources to sway the poll.
Government officials dismissed the allegations, while local observers reported satisfactory conduct across nearly all monitored polling stations.
Discrepancies emerged in voter turnout figures, with the court citing 70.11% participation against the Interior Ministry’s initial 87.21% claim. Over 920,000 registered voters, including 28,000 overseas, were eligible to cast ballots in Gabon’s first election since Nguema ousted President Ali Bongo Ondimba, ending his family’s half-century rule.
Set for inauguration on 3 May, Nguema’s victory entrenches his seven-year mandate in a nation where a third of its 2.3 million citizens live in poverty despite abundant oil reserves.
