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.
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The election in Gabon, which suffered no major disruptions according to observers, and General Nguema’s 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.
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