Presidential elections are being held in Gabon.

Presidential elections are being held in Gabon.

The Gabonese Republic is a country on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa. Gabon has an area of 267,668 square kilometers and a population of approximately 2.3 million people. Gabon's capital and largest city is Libreville. The official language is French. The Constitutional Court of Gabon has approved a list of eight candidates. This includes interim President Brice Oligui Nguema, who took power in a military coup in 2023. Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema is a Gabonese military officer and politician and the current interim President of Gabon. He was born on March 3, 1975, in Ngouoni, Haut-Ogooué Province. Before becoming president, Oligui served as Commander-in-Chief of the Gabonese Republican Guard from 2020. He is a member of the Bongo family; his mother was a cousin of former President Ali Bongo. Normally, transitional arrangements are not allowed to run for election. A new constitution would therefore be passed in November, exempting Nguema. This is likely an attempt to stay in power. The junta said the constitutional referendum was a milestone on the path to democratic rule. With the coup, Nguema ended the long-standing rule of his predecessor, Ali Bongo, and his family over the oil-rich but impoverished country. Nguema's main rival, Bongo's last Prime Minister, Alain Claude Billie By Nze (57), who is running as an independent candidate, is considered a likely successor. Other candidates confirmed by the court on Friday include Stéphane Germain Iloko Boussengui, a former member of Bongo's Gabonese Democratic Party who founded his own movement, the "Great Rainbow Rally," and tax inspector Joseph Lapensee Essigone. Gabon entrepreneur Gninga Chaning Zenaba is the only candidate. The election will take place on April 12. @TRT Global