Gabon: Military leaders give up power
Gabon’s national coat of arms surrounded by the coat of arms for Gabon’s nine provinces. Image by Jean Sovon, used with permission
Almost two years after the military coup d’état, Gabon has restored civilian rule. However, the country now finds itself under the leadership of a former general who is starting a new chapter as a political leader.
On September 4, 2023, during his inaugural address, shortly after the military takeover on August 26, 2023, General Clotaire Oligui Nguema promised the Gabonese people:
Nous entendons remettre le pouvoir aux civils en organisant des élections libres, transparentes et crédibles dans la paix sociale.
We will restore civilian rule by holding free, transparent, and credible elections in a climate of social peace.
After undergoing a constitutional reform, Gabon held its presidential elections on April 12, 2025.
Once the new constitution was approved on November 16, 2024, and promulgated on December 19, in early January 2025, transitional government members announced April 12, 2025, as the election date, fulfilling their promise of holding prompt presidential elections. Following a cabinet meeting on January 22, French newspaper Le Monde quoted the transitional government spokesperson, Séraphin Akure-Davain, as announcing:
Le collège électoral est convoqué le samedi 12 avril 2025. Le scrutin se déroulera de 7 heures à 18 heures, conformément à la réglementation en vigueur.
The electoral vote will be held from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on April 12, 2025, in accordance with the current regulations.
Genuine or false military-to-civilian transition?
General Clotaire Oligui Nguema made no secret of his desire to remain in power, becoming a mere civilian to do so. The new constitution doesn’t specify whether a uniformed military officer can be president. However, for Nguema, it was a matter of keeping his word. In April 2025, shortly before the presidential elections, he told the news television channel Gabon 24:
Je suis Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, j'ai passé 28 ans de carrière militaire avec la discipline, l'ardeur au travail, l'amour pour la patrie et suite à vos appels j'ai renoncé à mon métier de militaire pour vous servir.
My name is Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema. I have had a 28-year military career full of discipline, hard work, and love for my country. As requested, I gave up my military career to serve you,
Nguema is eager to make this distinction, as pointed out in this March 2025 article by media outlet Afriksoir:
Je ne suis pas resté figé dans mes bottes de militaire. J’ai toujours dit que nous organiserons des élections libres, transparentes et apaisées en vue de rendre le pouvoir aux civils. Je n’ai jamais dit que je ne serai pas candidat. Ce sont deux phrases différentes. J’ai laissé l’ouverture au peuple. Le jour où le peuple a besoin de moi et qu’il m’appelle, je répondrai, comme c’est le cas aujourd’hui.
I gave up my military boots. I have always said we would hold free, transparent, and peaceful elections to restore civilian rule. I never said I wouldn’t be a candidate. These are two different things. I let the people decide. The day the people need me and call for me, I’ll be there, and today is one of those days.
Through his media appearances and addresses, Nguema is seen as a president in touch with Gabon’s more than 2.5 million citizens in the country’s nine provinces. He appears laid back, as his dancing indicates in this video shared on X (formerly Twitter) during the presidential campaign:
The president of GABON 🇬🇦
Brice Oligui NGUEMA, 🔥 🔥 🔥 pic.twitter.com/kVxrOAotEy— Mike Sonko (@MikeSonko) April 12, 2025
Wearing his new civilian attire, Nguema argued he could serve as President of Gabon if elected. Four independent candidates ran for election to the Palais du Bord de la Mer (English: Seaside Palace), the official residence of the President of Gabon: Brice Oligui Nguema (from the transitional government and without a political party), Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze, Stéphane Germain Iloko, and Joseph Lapensée Essigone, all opposition members.
The provisional results that the Ministry of the Interior announced on April 13 showed that the former army general won 90.35 percent of the vote. According to the same source, the participation rate was 87 percent. All presidents are elected to a seven-year term, renewable only once.
Read our special coverage: Gabon: A change in continuity?
Civil society monitors the vote
In this country, civil society actors followed the presidential elections very closely. Gabon’s High Council of Non-State Actors (HCANEG), which deployed an Election Observation Mission in some areas of the country, commended the Gabonese citizens’ composure and maturity. Rêve Itsiembou N’dossy épouse Mangoumba, head of HCANEG missions, told the media outlet, Gabon Review:
(…)Nous avons constaté une volonté manifeste de l’administration électorale de respecter les délais et les règles du jeu. Nous avons noté une évolution positive en matière de gouvernance électorale (…)
We observed the electoral administration’s express intent to meet the deadlines and play by the rules. We also noted positive developments in electoral governance.
In the lead-up to the big day, the Citizen Observer Network (ROC), a coalition of 12 Gabonese civil society organizations committed to credible and transparent elections, prepared to support the national efforts. The network deployed observers from all social strata. Blandine Siety, a deaf ROC observer, stated:
Mon rôle, c’était de vérifier comment les élections se déroulaient dans les bureaux de vote : comment les électeurs étaient accueillis, notamment les personnes en situation de handicap, et si l’armée faisait bien son travail de sécurisation. Je suis allée voir plusieurs centres pour me faire une idée. C’était ma première fois comme observatrice, mais j’ai adoré. J’aimerais vraiment recommencer. Ce modèle m’a beaucoup plu.
My role was to check how the elections were going in the polling stations: how the voters were received, especially people with disabilities, and if the Army was conducting the security operations effectively. I went to several centers to get the whole picture. This was my first time as an observer, and I really enjoyed it. I want to do it again. I liked this model very much.
Opposition party objections
Jean-Remy Yama, leader of the National Party for Work and Progress (PNTP) and one of the candidates the Constitutional Court rejected, questioned the new president’s victory. On X, he wrote:
La victoire d’@oliguinguema à l'élection présidentielle du 12 avril dernier ne doit surprendre personne. Toutes les conditions ont été réunies en amont par l'exclusion des candidats crédibles, pour obtenir les résultats que nous avons aujourd'hui fortement dopés par le bourrage des urnes et l'achat des consciences (argent en espèces contre carte d'électeur prouvant le vote en faveur d'Oligui). L'objectif suprême était de réduire considérablement le taux d'abstention, car en réalité la participation a été très faible. pic.twitter.com/
@oliguinguema's victory in the presidential election on April 12 should come as no surprise. The groundwork, including the exclusion of credible candidates, was laid well in advance to achieve today’s results. Ballot box stuffing and vote buying (cash for voting cards guaranteeing votes for Oligui) helped immensely. As the turnout was low, the overall objective was to reduce abstention significantly. pic.twitter.com/
Although this election brings Gabon into a new political era, it remains to be seen whether this new chapter in the country’s history will facilitate the reforms necessary for fairer development. According to a World Bank report, Gabon is still one of the countries where one-third of the population lives below the poverty line despite its wealth of natural resources in the subsoil.
