Gabon’s Constitutional Court has sanctioned a list of eight candidates for the upcoming presidential election next month, which includes interim President Brice Oligui Nguema, who came to power through a military coup in 2023.
Typically, transitional leaders are barred from participating in elections; however, a new constitution was overwhelmingly approved in November, allowing Nguema to run. This has raised concerns among opposition groups and analysts about the junta’s intentions to maintain its grip on power.
The junta has asserted that the constitutional referendum is intended to pave the way for a return to democratic governance.
At 50 years old, Nguema has ended the decades-long rule of his predecessor, Ali Bongo, and his family in the oil-rich yet impoverished nation, marking the eighth coup in West and Central Africa from 2020 to 2023.
See more: Gabon’s Interim President Nguema will Run in the April Presidential Election.
Nguema’s primary challenger is expected to be Alain Claude Billie By Nze, 57, Bongo’s last prime minister, who is contesting as an independent candidate.
Other candidates approved by the court include Stephane Germain Iloko Boussengui, a former member of Bongo’s Gabonese Democratic Party who has established his own movement called the “large rainbow gathering,” and tax inspector Joseph Lapensee Essigone.
The only female candidate in the race is Gabonese entrepreneur Gninga Chaning Zenaba.
The election is set for April 12.
