GNV News – April 16, 2025

On April 12, 2025, a presidential election was held in Gabon, and Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, the country’s top military leader, won 90.35% of the vote and was provisionally elected president. This presidential election is the first since the military coup led by Nguema in 2023. The coup brought an end to the 55-year-long rule built by former President Ali Bongo together with his father.

Nguema was also involved in drafting the new constitution after the coup. In the draft of the new constitution, the previous system of five-year terms with no limit on the number of reelections was revised to seven-year terms with only one reelection allowed. It also bans members of the president’s family from running for senior state posts. These arrangements put an end to the mechanisms that had enabled the Bongo family’s long rule.

At the same time, doubts remain as to whether the new government can truly break with the previous administration. In fact, Nguema is Bongo’s cousin and served as head of the Republican Guard under former President Bongo. Moreover, aspects of Nguema’s foreign policy suggest continuity with the previous regime. In particular, Gabon continues to maintain close ties with France, its former colonial ruler, conducting diplomacy in a way that hints at continuity from the Bongo era.

Given this background, while the new administration seeks to differentiate itself from the previous regime, it also shows continuity with traditional foreign policy, so its trajectory warrants continued close attention. 
 
Learn more about the relationship between Gabon and France → “Gabon and France’s ‘special’ relationship”

Learn more about the background to coups → “West Africa: Why are coups occurring so frequently?” 

Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, who assumed the presidency（写真：UNclimatechange / Flickr［CC BY-NC-SA 2.0］）