By James Tasamba
KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) - Gabon’s Constitutional Court confirmed Friday Transitional President Brice Oligui Nguema as the winner of the presidential election held earlier this month.
Nguema garnered 94.85% of the vote compared to his main challenger, the last prime minister of the ousted President Ali Bongo, Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze, who won 3.11%, according to the final results announced by the Constitutional Court.
Nguema’s votes increased by nearly 5% compared to the provisional results announced by the Interior Ministry the day after the election.
By-Nze, also saw a slight increase in his votes from 3.02% announced in the provisional results.
The court said 642,632 people participated in the election out of 916,625 eligible voters.
The voter turnout was recorded at 70.11%.
Eight candidates were in the April 12 presidential election, the first since the 2023 bloodless military coup.
Gabon’s new constitution, adopted after last year’s referendum, provides for a seven-year presidential term that can be renewed once.
Nguema, 50, spearheaded a military coup in Gabon in August 2023 that ousted former President Bongo, ending the 56-year Bongo dynasty in the oil-producing Central African nation.
Nguema campaigned under the Rally of Builders, a platform which received backing from several political parties and associations.