The presidential election campaign in Gabon officially began on Saturday and will run until April 11. The vote will take place on April 12.
Transitional President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, who led the August 2023 coup and later resigned from the military to run for president, called for voters' support, noting that Gabon's electoral code allows military personnel to run after a leave of absence.
Eight candidates, including Nguema, are competing for the presidency. Nguema's main challenger is expected to be Alain Claude Billie By Nze, Gabon's former prime minister, running as an independent candidate. Other approved candidates include Stephane Germain Iloko Boussengui, a former member of former President Omar Bongo's party who now leads his own movement, "large rainbow gathering," and tax inspector Joseph Lapensee Essigone.
If no candidate wins a majority on April 12, a runoff election will be scheduled by the Constitutional Court.