Gabon is awaiting results from Saturday’s legislative and local elections, the first since the 2023 coup that ended more than five decades of Bongo family rule. The outcome will be crucial for General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, who seized power last year and was elected president six months ago.
More than 900,000 voters were called to choose 145 members of parliament and local councillors, who will indirectly elect senators, mayors, and regional assembly presidents. Polls closed Saturday evening, with counting beginning immediately under the observation of election monitors. Early Monday, results were still pending.
The vote unfolded peacefully in most areas, though one constituency in Ntoum, near Libreville, had to cancel balloting due to tensions between candidates.
The election will determine whether President Oligui Nguema can secure a parliamentary majority. The main contenders are the long-dominant Gabonese Democratic Party, ousted from power in 2023, and the newly formed Democratic Union of Builders (UDB), created three months ago by Oligui Nguema. Several smaller parties also fielded candidates.
A runoff is set for October 11 in constituencies where no candidate achieves an outright majority in the first round.
Source:Africa Publicity
