Military Leader Wins Presidential Election in Gabon

Gen. Brice Oligui Nguema has won the presidential election in the Central African nation of Gabon, according to provisional results, cementing the military officer’s hold on power after he staged a coup in 2023.

General Nguema won with more than 90 percent of the votes, the Interior Ministry said on Sunday. His main opponent, former Prime Minister Alain Claude Bilie-By-Nze, conceded defeat on Monday.

Gabon’s Constitutional Court is expected to announce official results in the coming days, though opponents and analysts have suggested that the election was geared toward General Nguema’s victory.

General Nguema is now set to govern Gabon for the next seven years, the second leader of a Central African country to win an election in recent years after grabbing power by force.

His victory highlights the return to elected power of men in uniform in West and Central Africa, which has experienced eight coups in the past five years.

Mahamat Déby, the current military leader of Chad, was declared the winner of a presidential contest last year after he seized power there in 2021.

Several other military officials who staged coups in West Africa over the past few years have stayed in power by delaying elections and maintaining lengthy transition rules.

General Nguema, 50, had vowed to relinquish power after a takeover that ended a decades-long political dynasty. But after his administration adopted a new constitution and introduced a new electoral code that allowed military officers to run in elections, he swapped his uniform for jeans and Air Jordans on the campaign trail.

Gabon is rich in mineral resources and oil, but the country faces a number of challenges.

Its economy remains overly dependent on oil, which accounts for 38 percent of Gabon’s gross domestic product.

The country is also among the world’s most corrupt, according to the watchdog Transparency International — a trend that preceded General Nguema’s military takeover. And more than 40 percent of young people in Gabon are unemployed.

Throughout the campaign, opponents of General Nguema accused him of flouting electoral rules by using state funds to finance his campaign. Even as he conceded defeat, Mr. Bilie-By-Nze said on Monday that the election had been “a farce” and complained of “Soviet-style results.”

“Fairness was undermined by the imbalance of resources — with one candidate campaigning at the taxpayers’ expense while others had to rely on their personal means,” he said.

Analysts say General Nguema fashioned the election so it could only benefit him. The constitutional reform that allowed him to run for office extended presidential terms to seven years and removed the role of the prime minister.

The new electoral code also prevented a prominent opponent from running by capping an age limit of 70 years for any candidate.

On Sunday, after the provisional results were announced, General Nguema said the returns left no doubt over who had won.

“I am a captain who knows how to bring a ship to a safe port,” he said. “You will see how the country is going to take off.”