Gabon’s Interim Leader Brice Nguema Announces Candidacy for April Presidential Election

Gabon’s military leader announced on Monday that he would run in the upcoming presidential election scheduled for April 12. General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, the current interim president, led a military coup in 2023 that ousted President Ali Bongo Ondimba. Bongo was accused by many Gabonese citizens of mismanagement and embezzling funds, actions that were feared to push the country toward instability.
“After careful consideration and in response to your many requests, I have decided to stand as a candidate in the presidential election,” Nguema declared during a speech to his supporters in the capital, Libreville.
In August 2023, Nguema, a cousin of Bongo and former head of the republican guard, was named president of a transitional committee after the military took control of the government. His candidacy follows the adoption of a new electoral code by Gabon’s parliament last month. This new law, which outlines the procedures for conducting elections, was contentious because it permitted military personnel to run for office — a provision not allowed before. The change now enables Nguema to seek his first presidential term. The revised constitution, approved in November, sets the presidential term at seven years, with one renewal.
Bongo, who had ruled for two terms after succeeding his father, was ousted amid growing dissatisfaction with his administration and his family’s long reign. Gabon, once a French colony and now a member of OPEC, possesses significant oil resources, but wealth is concentrated among a small elite. According to the World Bank, nearly 40% of young Gabonese, aged 15 to 24, were unemployed in 2020. Gabon’s oil exports generated $6 billion in revenue in 2022, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.