Gabonese voters went to the polls Saturday for the first round of legislative and local elections, the latest step in the country’s political transition following the 2023 coup that ended more than five decades of Bongo family rule.
About 1,600 candidates are competing for 145 parliamentary seats, while some 17,000 others are vying for municipal and departmental posts.
The elected councilors will go on to choose mayors, heads of departmental assemblies, and members of the Senate.
The vote comes months after coup leader Brice Oligui Nguema secured a sweeping victory in April’s presidential election, the first since seizing power.
His party, the Democratic Union of Builders, is among more than 20 political parties taking part, alongside the long-dominant Gabonese Democratic Party, founded by former president Omar Bongo.
Authorities have pledged a free, fair, and transparent process.
The Interior Ministry said all necessary measures were in place, with international observers monitoring the elections.
