The electoral campaign for Gabon’s presidential election, scheduled for April 12, has officially begun. Eight candidates are in the running, including the current transitional president, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema.
The first day of campaigning was marked by a show of force from President Oligui Nguema in Libreville, where he gathered his supporters at the Sino-Gabonese Friendship Stadium in the northern part of the capital.
“On April 12, 2025, you will choose your candidate—the builder, your special president Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema,” he declared to voters.
To run for president, the general of the Gabonese armed forces had to renounce his military status. The electoral code, adopted by both chambers of Parliament in early January, allows military personnel to seek the presidency on the condition that they formally request a leave of absence from the army.
If no candidate secures an absolute majority in the April 12 vote, a second round will be held on a date to be set by the Constitutional Court.
According to the Constitution approved by Gabonese voters in a referendum on November 16, the President of the Republic is elected for a seven-year term, renewable only once.
