Gabon held local and legislative elections on Saturday, marking the culmination of a political transition after last year’s coup. Polling stations remained open until 6:00 pm local time, allowing roughly 900,000 voters to choose 145 MPs and over 3,000 councillors.
President Brice Oligui Nguema posted on Facebook that his goal was to secure a strong majority to advance his political agenda. Most candidates belong to Nguema’s Democratic Union of Builders, formed in July, or the long-ruling Gabonese Democratic Party, alongside numerous independents. The PDG supports Nguema, despite internal disputes and former president Ali Bongo challenging the party’s leadership in a social media video.
Opposition party Together for Gabon, led by former prime minister Alain Claude Bilie-By-Nze, denounced electoral obstructions and potential large-scale voter exclusion. Complaints included limited access to proxies, absence of posted electoral rolls, and lack of transparency at polling stations across provinces.
Some town halls stayed open late Friday, allowing voters to consult lists and collect voter cards issued only midweek. Gabon’s interior ministry oversees the election, promising public vote counts and continuous updates on provisional results throughout election night. A second round of voting is scheduled for October 11, as the country navigates its first elections since 55 years of Bongo family rule.
