Gabon’s constitutional court confirms Nguema’s victory

DAKAR (AP): Gabon’s constitutional court has confirmed that Gen. Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, Gabon’s interim president who staged a 2023 coup, won the Central African nation’s April 12 presidential election.

According to the final results announced by the Constitutional Court, Oligui Nguema won the election with 58,074 votes, which accounts for 94.85 percent.

Oligui Nguema’s tally increased by almost 5 percent compared to the provisional results announced the day after the April 12 vote by the Ministry of the Interior.

He defeated seven other candidates, including the immediate past Prime Minister Alain Claude Bilie-By-Nze, who came in a distant second with 3 percent of votes cast. None of the other six candidates crossed the 1 percent mark.

Bilie-By-Nze recently said that Oligui Nguema took advantage of state resources to support his campaign. The government denies this.

Local observers deemed the conduct of the election satisfactory in nearly all the polling stations monitored.

The Constitutional Court announced a turnout of 70 percent in the election in which some 920,000 voters, including over 28,000 overseas, were registered to participate across more than 3,000 polling stations.

The Interior Ministry had previously announced a higher turnout of 87.21 percent in its provisional results announced the day after the vote.

Gabon’s first election since the 2023 military coup ended a political dynasty that lasted over 50 years.

It was seen as a crucial election for the central African nation’s 2.3 million people, a third of whom live in poverty despite its vast oil wealth.

Oligui Nguema, the former head of the country’s Republican Guard, toppled President Ali Bongo Ondimba nearly two years ago.

He hopes to consolidate his grip on power for a seven-year term in office and is set to be inaugurated on May 3.