Gabon chooses new president: Oligui Nguema on the way to changing power!

Gabon chooses new president: Oligui Nguema on the way to changing power!

On April 12, 2025, Gabon's citizens chose a new president, almost one and a half years after the military coup of August 2023. The then coup was led by Brice Oligui Nguema, who dropped his cousin, long -time President Ali Bongo. Oligui is considered the most promising candidate and described the election as "transparent" and "peaceful", while at the same time wishing the best candidate for their success. However, the opinions on his candidacy are ambivalent.

The election brought 920,000 voters to the urn, the turnout was 87 percent, according to the Interior Ministry. Already in the run -up to the election, Oligui had noticed his dominance in the election campaign: posters from his opponents were hardly visible in the capital Libreville. His most important challenger is the former Prime Minister Alain Claude Bilie----b-Nze, who competes with seven other men and a woman around the presidential office.

The way to the presidential office

oligui Nguema, who is also known as the new strong man of the Gabonais state, has had a long military career. He was the commander of the Guard Républicaine, who is responsible for the president's security, and was trained in the Royal Military Academy in Meknès, Morocco. In 2018 he was appointed to Gabon and took over the management of the secret service of Garde Républicaine. Some speculations indicate that he may have a joint responsibility for the coup, since his transportation in the presidential palace took place, shortly after public announcement of the election results, which Ali Bongo dismissed as the winner.

The challenges that Gabun is facing are huge. Despite its rich raw materials, around 2.5 million Gaboners mostly live in poverty. Almost 40 percent of young people are unemployed and the country is fighting infrastructure defects and regular power failure. Many citizens could have an end to the hope that the election will bring a new beginning and the corruption for which Bongo and his family were criticized during their rule.

political context and international reactions

The military power takeovers in Africa have increased in recent years. Since 2020 there have been nine significant Putsche, especially in former French colonies. These developments were described by UN Secretary General António Guterres as the "epidemic of coups". In surveys in 20 African countries, 54 percent of the respondents expressed support for military interventions in the event of abuse of power by elected governments. This dissatisfaction with the political elite has led to the creation of an environment in which putschists believe that they can act with impunity.

The election in Gabun could be crucial for the future political stability of the country and how it is perceived internationally. Election observers from the EU and other organizations are on site to monitor the vote. It remains to be seen how the results of the election, which are expected on April 14, 2025, will influence the political landscape in Gabon. The new constitution provides for a term of the president of seven years, which can be extended once, which arouses concerns that Oligui Nguema Might could be tried to secure power in the long term.

Overall, Gabon faces the challenge of fulfilling the expectations of the population and at the same time establishing a transparent political culture, while the country wants to free itself from the shadow of corruption -plated governments.