Brice Oligui Nguema Is Favored to Win Gabon Election


Electorate in Gabon are i’m ready to pick out their then president on Saturday, and on paper they’ve enough quantity of choices: anti-French firebrands, a basic who staged a coup, a tax inspector and a feminine candidate on this oil-rich Central African nation.

However maximum applicants and mavens agree that the election may well be a finished do business in. They are saying the race has been rigged in partial of Brice Oligui Nguema, the overall who staged a coup in 2023 and has overlooked his early guarantees handy energy over to a civilian.

“It is not a level playing field to begin with,” mentioned Joseph Siegle, director of study on the Africa Heart for Strategic Research, a Washington-based group that is a part of the U.S. Section of Protection.

Gabon is a resource-rich nation of two.5 million that used to be lengthy dominated by way of one community. Even though wealthier than alternative international locations in sub-Saharan Africa, unemployment is frequent and poverty is top, making the ones key problems for electorate.

Here’s what to understand concerning the presidential match.

A 50-year-old basic who swapped his uniform for denims, Jordan shoes and Michael Jackson’s dance strikes at the marketing campaign path, Mr. Nguema is extensively tipped to win.

Mr. Nguema served as an aide-de-camp to Gabon’s long-ruling autocrat, Omar Bongo, and used to be head of the Republican Secure below his son, Ali Bongo Ondimba, who used to be deposed in 2023.

With that coup, Mr. Nguema ended the run of one in all Africa’s longest-ruling households. Omar Bongo held energy for 41 years, and his son held place of business for 14.

The coup used to be the unedited of 9 army takeovers that experience shaken West and Central Africa since 2020.

However Mr. Nguema has rebranded himself as a traditional candidate within the election, with the marketing campaign slogan “It’s good,” or “C’BON” in French, a play games on his initials. He has promised to manufacture massive infrastructure tasks, together with a untouched airport, calling himself “Brice the Builder.”

He has additionally vowed to saving ties with France, the previous colonial energy, which has not too long ago been ordered to extract troops from a number of African international locations. Some 350 French troops are in Gabon, however Mr. Nguema has mentioned, “I’m not chasing anyone out.”

Paul Modoss, a 35-year-old entrepreneur, mentioned on Friday that he would vote for Mr. Nguema as a result of he had united the rustic and embodied renewal. “You can’t call President Brice Oligui Nguema a dictator,” he mentioned. “A dictator doesn’t return power to the people through the ballot box.”

His maximum critical opponent is Alain-Claude Bilie-By means of-Nze, who used to be Mr. Bongo’s high minister.

Mr. Bilie-By means of-Nze, 57, has vowed to split with Gabon’s pre-coup political device, dismantle its community and let go French affect, even supposing he lengthy operated inside of that device.

He has also referred to as Mr. Nguema’s doable election a warning to self-government and mentioned he needs to diversify Gabon’s financial system and let go its dependence on oil revenues.

Lauréa Mamboundou, a 26-year-old regulation scholar, mentioned she would vote for Mr. Bilie-By means of-Nze for his political revel in.

“He is the most competent candidate today, but also the one who would be the easiest to sanction with our votes should he ever betray the people’s trust,” she mentioned. “This is a guarantee against the drift we all fear.”

Gabon is well off in mineral assets. It holds 1 / 4 of the sector’s reserves of manganese, a mineral old to form metal. However its financial system remainder overly depending on oil, which accounts for 38 p.c of Gabon’s improper home product.

The rustic is without doubt one of the global’s maximum corrupt international locations, in keeping with the watchdog Transparency World. Over 40 p.c of younger folk in Gabon are unemployed. And a 3rd of its 2.5 million folk continue to exist not up to $5.50 a past, in keeping with the Global Deposit.

Beneath Mr. Nguema’s management, the period in-between government followed a untouched Charter that permits participants of the army to run for place of business. It additionally limits a president to 2 seven-year phrases.

Mr. Siegel mentioned the overall had borrowed from the playbook of any other Central African nation, Chad, whose chief seized energy when his father used to be killed in 2021, and who used to be then declared winner in an election.

Mr. Bilie-By means of-Nze mentioned Mr. Nguema had flouted electoral laws by way of the use of environment finances to finance his marketing campaign, month alternative candidate gained refuse such environment assistance. “The junta’s leader has tailored a Constitution and an electoral law to his own needs to confiscate power,” Mr. Bilie-By means of-Nze mentioned in a remark.

A spokesman for Mr. Nguema declined to remark.

A number of Central African international locations are dominated by way of authoritarian leaders, together with Africa’s lead 3 longest-serving presidents. Two are Gabon’s neighbors: the president of Cameroon has been in energy for 42 years and the president of the Republic of Congo has held place of business for 38 years.

In Gabon, the 2 applicants have a protracted historical past with the Bongo community however have attempted to distance themselves from it. Each and every has accused the alternative of being the candidate of the vintage regime.

About 860,000 folk are anticipated to walk to the polls on Saturday. The effects are anticipated to be introduced prior to April 16.

Yann Leyimangoye contributed reporting from Libreville, Gabon.