Voting gets underway in Gabon's local and legislative elections

After 10 days of campaigning, the first round of Gabon’s legislative and local elections got underway on Saturday.

In all, some 1,600 candidates are vying for 145 parliamentary seats, with around 17,000 people competing for municipal and departmental positions.

It is these elected councilors who will select mayors, heads of departmental assemblies, and senators.

Saturday’s election is seen as a crucial step in solidifying the transition from the Bongo family’s more than 50 year rule that came to an end following a coup in 2023.

Coup leader Brice Oligui Nguema won an overwhelming victory in April’s presidential election - the first election since the coup. 

More than twenty political parties are participating in the poll, including President Brice Oligui Nguema’s Democratic Union of Builders, and the Gabonese Democratic Party founded by former president, Omar Bongo.

The Interior Ministry said every effort has been made to ensure the vote is free, fair and transparent, and that international observers are overseeing the process.