GABON LANDSLIDE: A WIN FOR FRANCE, U.S.?

According to Gabon’s interior ministry, Brice Oligui Nguema - the country’s transitional leader - won the recent presidential election by a landslide. The vote, held on 12 April 2025, was of intense interest to the now-defunct US Agency for International Development (USAID), which invested $5 million into the process. France too was keeping a close eye, as it has a military base in the country and French firms rely on Gabon’s resources. Paris had much at stake. Nguema is from the long-reigning Bongo dynasty, which has historically maintained tight relations with Paris and Washington. He came to power via a coup d'état on 30 August 2023, overthrowing his cousin Ali Bongo. The family’s long-standing ties to the West raise the question whether this was truly an election for Gabonese democracy or just another power shuffle that suits foreign interests.

Sources

https://www.africanews.com/2025/04/13/brice-oligui-nguema-wins-gabon-presidential-election-with-9035-of-the-vote/

https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2023/9/1/has-gabons-all-powerful-bongo-dynasty-really-lost-its-55-year-grip

https://ga.usembassy.gov/the-united-states-announces-new-efforts-to-support-democratic-governance-in-gabon/