A presidential election took place in Gabon on April 12, 2025 and was won by Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, previously President of the Transition since March 30, 2023, the date of the coup which saw the departure of Ali Bongo Ondimba from power.Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, who was one of the 8 candidates for the presidential chair at the Seaside Palace in Gabon, largely won this presidential election with more than 94% of the votes cast. This was not a surprise because popular support was underway and the Constitution modified following a Referendum immediately excluded the candidates who could block it. In the aftermath of this victory confirmed and proclaimed by the Constitutional Court, there were no internal tensions as was the case in 2009, 2016 and 2023; just after the publication of the results. The only candidate who could respond to Oligui Nguema during this presidential election was Alain Claude Bilie By Nze, who unfortunately did not succeed in attracting the trust of a larger number of voters. Coming in second place with just over 3% of the vote, he still managed to position himself as the new leader of the opposition.
What are the expectations expected by voters and what will change, particularly for foreign investors?
Investors, for their part, expect more rigor in business law legislation, flexible application of the Mining and Oil Codes, in particular, but also more assurance and support in terms of finances to carry out major projects which are slow to come to fruition. In the aftermath of the presidential election, eyes are turned towards the formation of a new government which should take into account the combined efforts of the different alliances which favored the victory of Oligui Nguema who was not running. not under the banner of any political party, but as an independent. The new President of the Republic Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema had obtained the support of almost all political forces, whether from the old PDG system, from the ex-opposition which participated in the transition, such as the tenors Alexandre Barro Chambrier or Paulette Missambo, or from formerly very critical voices of civil society such as the environmental defender Marc Ona Essangui or the lawyer Anges-Kevin Nzigou.After the phase protocol of the inauguration ceremony of the elected president which is scheduled for May 3, 2025, there will certainly be the formation of a government of national unity, quite broad, to reward the actors of this victory because Oligui Nguema needed broad support, in particular that of the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) whose break with the old system he nevertheless advocated but which ultimately supported him and got him elected.
Will the next government be made up of senior officers from the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions (CTRI)?
The question remains because to be a candidate in the presidential election of April 12, 2025, Brigadier General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema had to do without his military uniform to present himself as a civilian candidate. Will Oligui Nguema have a completely free hand to lead the country without his former brothers in arms? The question remains. Transactions between the parties, the associations, have certainly begun. Oligui Nguema's plebiscite is based on resolving the immediate needs of a little more than two (2) million Gabonese people by initially reducing inequalities. There is no significant middle class in Gabon. And this is a segment of the population that should be constituted. It is undeniable that Oligui Nguema risks being weighed down at some point by the former ruling party which mobilized for his victory. This is also a sign that several current ministers will leave their posts as soon as the new government is formed, the date of which is not yet known. An economic revolution which involves better management of Gabonese subsoil resources. To carry out mining projects, the development of the iron deposits of Belinga, Baniaka and Milingui, investments with high added value are essential. Infrastructure and national energy potential have not yet found solutions. The primary challenge will, in fact, be the construction of roads, bridges, deep-water ports and two-track railways. But also power plants to provide sufficient electricity for the proper functioning of factories. This requires large financial contributions that Gabon and foreign investors will have to release. With the end of the transition period and the return to constitutional order, foreign capital should abound to support the economic and social development of the country. Today, there is more assurance because Gabon is approaching the long term with an environment which is gaining confidence and which will reassure foreign investors. The projects awaiting the government are colossal. There is also the country's public debt. To find adequate solutions, the elected president should surround himself with experts and the best specialists in key areas of the economy. The question that remains is whether the President of the Republic Brice Oligui Nguema, who trained under the Bongo regime, will have full powers to lead the country at the level of the National Assembly and the Senate. We would probably have to wait around a few months of governance to appreciate the value and direction of the reforms initiated. A new president under the weight of numerous projects The bet for another way of leading the country enters a new era. In addition to the political aspect, eyes are now turned towards the economic development of the country which has fallen far behind in relation to the wealth at its disposal. A desired economic expansion which will involve a better distribution of income within the population. The election of Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema is considered a revival in Gabon. But major projects await the next government.
Who are the personalities who will make up the next government?
There are many of them knocking on his door. Let's start with Hermann Immongault, the Minister of the Interior, whose department organized the vote across the country. There is also the current Prime Minister Raymond Ndong Sima; the Vice Prime Minister Alexandre Barro Chambrier; But also Jean-Pierre Oyiba, the general campaign coordinator of Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema. Some personalities from civil society appointed by Oligui Nguema to the Senate, the National Assembly, and the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE), could undoubtedly be part of the next government. Certain candidates who, during the presidential election, openly supported the program of the elected president, could see themselves rewarded. This is the case of Alain Simplice Boungoueres, leader of the Gabonese Citizens' Movement (MCG). the latter proposed, among other things, the creation of a Sovereign National Pardon Fund (FSPN), endowed with 40 billion CFA francs, intended to allow the return of Gabonese political exiles, victims of injustice, by offering them land and financial compensation. The day after his victory, elected President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema invited his collaborators to continue the efforts deployed during the past 19 months. For him, "the presidential election has passed and the work must continue." The Gabonese population is estimated at just over 2 million inhabitants. Resources are abundant but the Gabonese economy has always been dominated by the export of wood, manganese, oil and soon by iron and then many other precious metals. Despite this intrinsic economic potential, Gabon, with an area of 268,000 km2 and more than 80% covered by dense forest, is struggling to achieve sustainable and inclusive growth. Even though it is recognized that Gabon has the highest gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in Africa, the distribution of wealth within the population still remains unequal and in 2022, according to the World Bank, one in three Gabonese people still lived below the poverty line.
