Gabonese voters head to the polls this Saturday in a landmark presidential election widely expected to confirm transitional leader Brice Oligui Nguema’s hold on power, less than a year after he led a military coup that ended the decades-long rule of Ali Bongo Ondimba.
Nguema, a former head of the Republican Guard and key architect of the August 2023 coup, has gained significant public support for his anti-corruption stance and promises of reform. As interim president, he has pledged to root out graft, reduce inequality, and restore dignity to Gabonese institutions, a message that has resonated with a population long disillusioned with the Bongo family’s dynastic rule.
Among his supporters is Eugène Ndonga, a civil servant in Libreville, who said, “The biggest problem is the high cost of living. If the new president can tackle food prices and other daily essentials, that would mean real progress for us.” The vote will be the first under Gabon’s new constitution, approved via referendum in November 2023. The revised charter introduces a seven-year presidential term, renewable once, and aims to reset the political landscape after decades of rule by the Bongo family and its party, the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG).
Ironically, the PDG, which dominated Gabonese politics under Ali Bongo and his late father Omar Bongo, has now endorsed Nguema—raising questions about the depth of political transformation in the country. Analysts caution that while the regime has changed, the underlying system remains largely intact. “The coup was about removing a regime, not dismantling a system,” said Fred Kapabi, an independent political consultant. “Ali Bongo’s inner circle, known as the ‘Young Team,’ was sidelined, but many PDG loyalists have returned under Nguema’s transitional leadership.”
Nguema’s chief opponent, Alain Claude Bilie-By-Nze—Ali Bongo’s former prime minister—has campaigned on promises to overhaul public finances, create jobs, and lessen Gabon’s dependency on France. However, his support base remains limited, and the campaigns of the seven other candidates have gained little traction, leaving Nguema with broad backing across political lines. Despite widespread enthusiasm for change, some observers worry that Saturday’s vote could consolidate power under a new face without delivering the structural reforms many had hoped for post-coup. Still, Nguema remains the overwhelming favorite, and his expected victory would mark the start of Gabon’s second chapter—one that many hope won’t simply repeat the past.
