Voting Begins in Gabon’s Local and Parliamentary Elections

After ten days of campaigning, Gabon’s first round of legislative and local elections began on Saturday. The vote marks a pivotal step in the country’s political transition following the end of the Bongo family’s more than five-decade rule, which concluded with a coup in 2023.
Around 1,600 candidates are contesting 145 seats in the National Assembly, while nearly 17,000 candidates are competing for municipal and departmental positions. The elected councilors from these races will go on to choose mayors, heads of departmental assemblies, and senators.
This election is the first major political test since coup leader Brice Oligui Nguema secured a landslide victory in April’s presidential vote. More than twenty political parties are participating, including Nguema’s Democratic Union of Builders and the Gabonese Democratic Party, founded by former president Omar Bongo. Authorities have emphasized that extensive measures are in place to guarantee a free, fair, and transparent process, with international observers monitoring the vote.
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