By Mevlut Ozkan
ISTANBUL (AA) - In a landslide victory, Gabon's interim President and coup leader Brice Oligui Nguema won Saturday’s presidential vote – the first since the country’s 2023 military coup – according to provisional results.
Nguema emerged victorious in the first round, securing 90.35% of the vote, Interior Minister Hermann Immongault told a Sunday news conference.
Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye congratulated Nguema on X, calling his victory "an eloquent sign of the confidence that the Gabonese people have in his leadership, after a transition conducted with brilliance and wisdom."
The election, which included eight candidates, marked a key step in the Central African nation’s transition from military to civilian rule.
Nguema led a group of senior Gabonese army officers who deposed President Ali Bongo in August 2023.
Following the coup, Nguema, a former commander of the Republican Guard, was sworn in as the country's transitional president, ending 56 years of the so-called Bongo dynasty.
Last November, a referendum was held to decide on a new constitution, presented as a crucial step toward holding a presidential election.
The new constitution abolished the post of prime minister, allowed Nguema to run for president, and provided for a seven-year presidential term with a maximum of two terms.