Gabon’s military junta leader declared the president with an extraordinary victory

Gabon’s military junta leader, Brice Oligui Nguema, has been declared the winner of the presidential election, securing 90.35 percent of the votes, according to the temporary results released by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Sunday.

Oligui, who seized power in August 2023, ended the rules of the Bongo family of more than five decades marked by corruption, had promised to transmit the country back to a democratic government.

Earlier on Sunday, Gabon 24 television reported that Oligui was “far ahead” in several provinces of Central Africa. The temporary figure of the Ministry of Home Affairs shows the number of voters 70.4 percent.

The Streets of the Capital, Libreville, Remaned Calm The Day After the Election, A Stark Contrast to the Tensions and Unrest that Characterized Previous Elections in 2016 and 2023. 58-Year-Old Catholic Olivina Migombe Toll Reporters, Expressing Her Support for Oligui and Her Belief in “Change This Time.”

The newly elected president faced significant challenges, including handling destroyed state infrastructure, widespread poverty, and substantial debt. “If Oligui was elected as president, he would have a lot of work to be done,” Patrick Essono-Mve, a 48-year-old unemployment technician, told reporters.

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Oligui, who released the image of his military strong people and even left his general uniform to run for seven years, dominating the campaign. The seven challengers, led by former Prime Minister Ali Bongo, Alain-Claude Bilie by Nze, received a relatively small visibility. Critics accused Oligui of failing to overcome the years of looting of Gabon mineral wealth that was vast under Bongo, which he served for years.

For the first time, foreign and independent media were allowed to film the number of voting. International observers in the polling station throughout the country reported that there were no major incidents in their initial assessment.

Around 920,000 voters meet the requirements to provide their ballots in 3,037 polling stations, including 96 located abroad. The initial results released by CTI News state media on Sunday morning showed that Oligui won very large around 30 polling stations, with some reported 100 percent of the votes that benefited him.

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