Gabon’s Transitional Interior Minister Hermann Immongault has officially announced revised provisional results of the presidential election held on 12 April, confirming that Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema secured 94.85% of the total votes cast, following a comprehensive double verification process.
The new figures reflect a significant upward revision from the preliminary result of 90.35% released on 13 April. The recalculation emerged from what the minister described as a “double cross-checking” of all physical tally sheets submitted across national and international polling centres.
In a formal statement issued on Friday, Minister Immongault clarified that the previously published figures contained “calculation errors,” resulting in a statistical discrepancy of 4.82 percentage points. These inconsistencies have now been corrected through what he termed a “consolidated result,” incorporating a nationwide audit of votes cast across all eight candidates.
Former prime minister Alain Claude Bilie By Nze, who served under ex-president Ali Bongo Ondimba, also saw his result adjusted marginally upwards—from 3.02% to 3.11%. No other candidates were reported to have made statistically significant gains following the verification process.
According to Gabonese electoral procedure, these revised provisional results are to be transmitted to the Transitional Constitutional Court, which is expected to formally announce the final validated outcome within eight clear days. Only after this constitutional endorsement will the official swearing-in of the elected president be conducted.
Nguema, a former head of the Republican Guard and transitional leader following the military-led ousting of Ali Bongo in August 2023, is poised to take formal command under a restructured transitional framework. The recent election marks the country’s first major electoral exercise since the dissolution of longstanding dynastic governance.
The transparency of the electoral process, particularly the application of a dual verification method, has been noted as a rare occurrence in Gabon’s recent political history. Although opposition groups and some civil society organisations have raised concerns about the political transition’s pace and inclusivity, no formal legal challenge to the revised tally had been reported as of press time.
The international community, including regional blocs such as the African Union and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), has closely monitored the developments. However, formal observer mission reports are still pending and may influence the international perception of the electoral legitimacy.
For more in-depth coverage, visit The Southern African Times – Gabon Politics.
