Gabon’s Interim President Nguema To Face Three Challengers In April Election

Gabon’s interim President, Brice Oligui Nguema, will face three challengers in the country’s upcoming presidential election on April 12, according to an official candidate list released by the Interior Ministry on Sunday.

While 19 other applicants were disqualified, they have been granted 72 hours to appeal the decision before the Constitutional Court.

Nguema, who seized power in a 2023 military coup, ended the decades-long rule of Ali Bongo and his family. His decision to run had been widely speculated, especially after a new constitution—which did not prohibit his candidacy—was overwhelmingly approved in a referendum last year. The military authorities described the new charter as a stepping stone to democratic governance.

Nguema’s main rival in the election is Alain-Claude Bilie By Nze, who served as the last Prime Minister under Ali Bongo.

Also in the race is Dr. Stéphane Germain Iloko, a former senior member of the once-dominant Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG), which controlled the nation’s politics from 1961 to 2023.

The final contender, Joseph Lapensée Essigone, is a lawyer and tax inspector.

All four candidates are running as independents, with official campaigning set to begin on March 29.