General Brice Oligui Nguema, Gabon’s transitional president, emerged as the frontrunner in the country’s first election since the August 2023 coup that ousted Ali Bongo, as polls opened on April 11, 2025.
Nguema, who led the bloodless takeover citing Bongo’s “fraudulent” 2023 re-election, faces 12 candidates, including former ministers and civil society leader Paulette Missambo. Campaigning in Libreville, Nguema promised to “restore dignity” with $2 billion in oil revenue for schools and roads, leveraging his junta’s 70% approval rating, per a 2024 Afrobarometer poll. Voting, monitored by 200 AU observers, saw 850,000 registered voters across 2,500 polling stations, with early turnout at 40%.
Bongo’s ousting ended his family’s 55-year dynasty, but critics, like activist Georges Mpaga, call Nguema’s candidacy a “junta power grab,” noting his control over state media and $500 million in campaign funds.
Missambo, polling at 25%, vowed to probe the junta’s 2023 crackdowns, which jailed 50 Bongo allies. Gabon’s economy, with $6 billion in oil exports, struggles—30% unemployment fuels unrest, and 2024’s floods displaced 10,000.
Violence fears loom, 200 troops patrolled Libreville after 2023’s riots killed 10. Results, due April 15, will test Gabon’s democratic hopes, with Nguema’s lead signaling continuity over rupture, as Africa watches a nation at a crossroads.