Gabon’s Junta Leader to Face Three Challengers in Presidential Election
Four Candidates Set for Gabon's Presidential Election
- General Brice Oligui Nguema, will compete against three other candidates in the upcoming presidential election
- The presidential election is scheduled for April 12
- Candidates whose applications were rejected have 72 hours to appeal
Gabon’s junta leader, General Brice Oligui Nguema, will compete against three other candidates in the upcoming presidential election scheduled for April 12, according to the official candidate list.
Interior Minister Hermann Immongault announced that four candidates were approved from a pool of 23 applications.
Oligui’s challengers include former Prime Minister Alain Claude Bilie by Nze, lawyer Joseph Lapensee Essingone, and former ruling party spokesperson Dr. Stephane Germain Iloko Boussengui.
The reasons for rejecting 19 other candidates, including prominent figures like Jean Remy Yama and former Vice President Pierre Claver Maganga Moussavou, were not disclosed. 34 applicants withdrew their candidacies before the deadline.
Candidates whose applications were rejected have 72 hours to appeal the decision to the Constitutional Court.
Oligui, who led the 2023 coup that ended the Bongo dynasty’s 55-year rule, is running as an independent candidate under his newly created “The Builders Movement,” a platform open to various political and social groups.
He confirmed that his request to wear civilian clothing during the campaign period, instead of his military uniform, was approved by the Ministry of Defence.
Campaigns for the election will begin on March 29, with the vote marking the official end of military rule since August 2023.
