Voters in oil-rich Gabon headed to polling stations on Saturday in a presidential election that the country\u2019s military rulers hoped would legitimize their grip on power. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s the first election since a 2023 military coup ended a political dynasty that lasted over 50 years. Analysts have predicted an overwhelming victory for the interim president who led the coup. <\/p>\n
Some 920,000 voters, including over 28,000 overseas, are registered to participate across more than 3,000 polling stations. A third of the country\u2019s 2.3 million people live in poverty despite its vast oil wealth. <\/p>\n
The interim president, Gen. Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, 50, toppled President Ali Bongo Ondimba nearly two years ago. He hopes to consolidate his grip on power for a seven-year term in office. <\/p>\n
Bongo was placed under house arrest after the coup but freed a week later due to health concerns. His wife and son were detained and charged with corruption and embezzlement of public funds. Bongo himself was not charged. <\/p>\n
Following the coup, Oligui Nguema promised to \u201creturn power to civilians\u201d through \u201ccredible elections\u201d. He has touted himself as a leader who wants to unify the Gabonese and give them hope, running his presidential campaign under the slogan: \u201cWe Build Together.\u201d <\/p>\n
In January, the parliament adopted a new contentious electoral code allowing military personnel to run in elections. <\/p>\n
The country\u2019s new constitution, adopted in a referendum in November, has also set the presidential term at seven years, renewable once, instead of the unlimited fiver-year term. It also states family members can\u2019t succeed a president and has abolished the position of prime minister. <\/p>\n
A total of eight candidates are running for president. <\/p>\n
However, Oligui Nguema\u2019s main challenger is Bongo\u2019s former prime minister Alain Claude Bilie-By-Nze, who has promised to reorganize public finances, create jobs for young people and \u201cend the umbilical cord\u201d with former colonial ruler France. <\/p>\n
In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Bilie-By-Nze said he didn\u2019t expect the election to be fair or transparent. <\/p>\n
\u201cEverything has been done to lock down the vote,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
In a region where France is losing longstanding allies in many of its former colonies, Gabon stands out as one of only a few where that partnership has not been threatened. It still has more than 300 French troops present, one of only two African countries still hosting them. <\/p>\n
Oligui Nguema has not signaled an end to the French military presence, but Bilie-By-Nze has said \u201cno subject is off limits\u201d in renegotiating the ties between the two countries. <\/p>\n
Dozens of voters, from various age groups, lined up at ballot stations early Saturday in the capital city, Libreville, as voting progressed peacefully. <\/p>\n
Jonas Obiang told the AP while waiting to cast his ballot in the working-class district of Damas that he would vote for Bilie-By-Nze because he viewed the 2023 coup as a continuation of the malpractice of the previous regime. <\/p>\n
\u201cGeneral Oligui Nguema led the country with the same people who plundered the country, the former members of the Bongo regime. I will not vote for him,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
His views were echoed by Antoine Nkili, a 27-year-old unemployed man with a Master\u2019s degree in law. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe choice is personal, but I\u2019m telling you that for me, the military has failed,\u201d Nkili said. \u201cThey promised to reform the institutions, but they haven\u2019t. Instead, they\u2019ve enriched themselves.\u201d <\/p>\n
But Jean Bie, 57, who works in the construction sector, said the military rule has benefited the population. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn 19 months, General Oligui Ngu\u00e9ma has completed several projects expected of the former regime. I\u2019m voting for him, hoping he\u2019ll do more over the next seven years,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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