Dakar [Senegal], April 13: Voters in Gabon were heading to the polls on Saturday for the first presidential election following a military coup over a year and a half ago.
With this election, the country, which is rich in natural resources such as forests and oil, is returning to civilian government following the August 2023 coup which toppled a long-time political dynasty.
The transitional president, General Brice Oligui Nguema, 50, who led the bloodless coup against his cousin, president Ali Bongo Ondimba, is considered the favourite.
However, his connections to the former regime have drawn criticism, with opponents accusing Nguema of seeking to cling to power. His main rival in the race is the former prime minister Alain Claude Bilie-By-Nze. In total, seven men and one woman are running for office. Results are expected in the coming days.
The Bongo family, which had ruled the former French colony in Central Africa since 1967, has been accused of massive corruption.
Many of the approximately 2.5 million Gabonese people, who live largely in poverty despite the country's wealth of natural resources, celebrated the coup as a liberation from kleptocracy.
World Bank figures show that nearly 40% of young people in Gabon are unemployed. The country's new constitution provides for a presidential term of seven years, which can be extended once.
Source: Qatar Tribune
