General Nguema Secures Presidency with a Landslide Victory

General Brice Oligui Nguema has been elected president of Gabon with a staggering 90.35% of the vote, according to provisional results.

The election results solidify Nguema’s grip on power 19 months after the coup ended more than half a century of rule by the Bongo family in Gabon, an oil producer with a population of around 2.5 million.

The August 2023 coup led by General Nguema, which ousted the Bongo dynasty after their 56-year reign, was a dramatic response to allegations of corruption and fraudulent elections under Ali Bongo, who was controversially declared the winner of the 2023 election.

General Nguema promised change, a clean break from the past, and a brighter future for Gabon. However, political analysts argue that he initially pledged to return power to civilian authorities, only to later throw his hat into the ring as a “civilian” candidate.

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The election saw a voter turnout of 70.40%, a notable increase from the 56.65% recorded during the contested 2023 election. General Nguema’s main opponent, Alain-Claude Bilie By Nze, who was the prime minister under President Ali Bongo at the time of the coup, managed to secure a mere 3.02% of the vote.

General Nguema’s campaign was centered on the “We Build Together” slogan and vowed to diversify Gabon’s oil-dependent economy and tackle poverty, which affects a third of the population despite the country’s vast oil wealth. The main question now is: can General Nguema truly deliver on such lofty promises?

As Nguema begins his seven-year term under a new constitution, the question remains: Is Gabon witnessing the dawn of a new era, or is this simply old wine in a new bottle?

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