At Stake in this Election:  

• The Presidency of Gabon 

Government Structure: 

• Chief of State: Transitional President General Brice OLIGUI NGUEMA (since 4 September 2023) 

• Head of Government: Prime Minister Raymond NDONG SIMA (since 7 September 2023)  

• Assembly: bicameral Transitional Parliament (Parliament de la transition), comprised of a 98-seat Transitional National Assembly (Assemblée nationale de la transition) and the 70-seat Transitional Senate (Sénat de la transition). 

Electoral System:  

• The Transitional President was chosen by a designation college set up by the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions, which led the 2023 Coup against the incumbent government.  

• The Prime Minister is appointed by the Transitional President.  

• All members of the bicameral Transitional Parliament are appointed by the Transitional President on the advice of the Prime Minister. Members report directly to the president. The Transitional Parliament is comprised of the Transitional National Assembly and the Transitional Senate.   

• The Transitional National Assembly is comprised of 67 members from political parties or from among political figures, 25 from civil society, and 6 members from the Defense and Security Forces. 

• The Transitional Senate is comprised of 37 members from political parties, 27 members from civil society, and 6 members from the Defense and Security Forces.  

Last Election: 

The last Presidential election was held on 26 August 2023. Nineteen candidates, including incumbent Ali BONGO Ondimba, participated. However, before official results could be released, a group of military officers (referred to as the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions) seized control in a coup and annulled the election results.   

New/Unique in this Election: 

This is the first executive election being held since the 2023 coup d'état, which dissolved the legislature and instated a transitional government. This is also the first election since voters approved a new constitution via referendum in 2024. Election and governance-related constitutional changes included: the abolition of the office of Prime Minister and a transition to a presidential system, the creation of the office of the Vice President of the Government, changes to the requirements of presidential candidates, and expansions to presidential powers (including the ability to dissolve the National Assembly and the Constitutional Court if certain pre-requisites are met). In January 2025, the transitional government also approved a new electoral code. 

Key Deadlines: 

• Candidate filing deadline: 3 March 2025 

• Voter registration deadline: 8 February 2025 

Main Candidates in this Election: 

• Alain Claude BILIE-BY-NZE 

• Joseph Lapensée ESSINGONE  

• Stéphane Germain ILOKO BOUSSENGUI 

• Brice Clotaire OLIGUI NGUEMA 

Population and Registered Voters: 

• Population: 2,484,789 (2023 estimate) 

• Registered Voters: n/a 

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 1,222,547 (2023 estimate) 

• CEDAW Status: Signed 17 July 1980, Ratified 21 January 1983 

• Gender Quota: Yes, legislated quotas in both houses*  

• Female Candidates in this election: No 

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 25 out of 98 members of the Transitional National Assembly and 14 out of 69 members of the Transitional Senate 

• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.693 (Medium) (2022 estimate) 

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: 32.2% (2025 estimate) 

*Note: information based on government composition prior to the 2023 coup which abolished these institutions. There is no data available for the gender quotas of the transitional government.  

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: Signed 30 March 2007, Ratified 1 October 2007 

• Projected population with a disability: 397,566 (2023 estimate)