The Union for Democratic Builders Party, launched only a few months ago by President Brice Oligui Nguema, took the lead in the first round of legislative elections, winning 55 out of 145 seats in the National Assembly.
These are the first legislative elections in the country since the 2023 military coup that ended the Bongo family’s more than 50-year dominance of power. The party of former president Ali Bongo Ondimba, the Gabonese Democratic Party, managed to secure only three seats, while the two parties shared four seats through joint lists.
The second round is scheduled for October 11 to decide the outcome of the remaining 77 constituencies, most of which are contested between the two parties and will determine the final makeup of parliament.
Gabon is currently governed under a presidential system, reinstated after General Oligui Nguema’s victory in the April elections, following the adoption of a controversial electoral law that allowed military figures—including the president himself—to run for office.
Although the powers of parliament remain limited, these elections are considered a key test of Gabon’s path back to constitutional rule.