On 12 August, the Gabonese government adopted an order granting a general amnesty to those who participated in the 2023 coup d’état that removed former President Ali Bongo and which was led by recently elected President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema. Its provisions also extend to participants in a 2019 failed coup attempt led by Lieutenant Kelly Ondo Obiang, who was subsequently imprisoned by the Bongo regime. The order, which the government said was intended to facilitate national reconciliation, covers ‘common law offences and those against the internal or external security of the state’ but excludes economic offences, serious violations of human rights and offences unconnected to the coups. In applicable cases, the order has the effect of expunging convictions, ceasing current prosecutions, prohibiting future prosecutions and provides for the immediate release of prisoners. Kelly was released from prison on 30 August.

Sources: Présidence de la République Gabonaise,  Jeune Afrique, Agence de Presse Africaine, Seneweb  

On 27 June, President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema promulgated a law that imposes strict new regulations on political parties and is likely to significantly reconfigure the political landscape. According to the government, its objective is to rationalise the party system, making political parties stronger and more accountable and reduce their number–—currently more than 100. Many of these are thought to be ‘shell’ parties, allegedly established as vehicles for personal political ambition or corruption. Among the law’s provisions are requirements that new parties have a membership of at least 10,000 people across all nine of Gabon’s provinces, that they participate in elections, file extensive documentation and undergo an annual review of funding. While acknowledging the need for rationalization, political actors and commentators warned the new law will narrow political competition, with very few parties likely to be able to meet its demands. They have one year to do so.     

Sources: Loi n°016/2025 du 27 juin 2025 relative aux partis politique en République Gabonaise, Jeune Afrique (1), Jeune Afrique (2), info241

On 12 April, Gabon held its first presidential election since the 2023 coup (which had immediately followed the August 2023 general presidential elections), four months ahead of the schedule set out in the transitional charter. The sitting transitional president and coup leader General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema won the election decisively running as an independent candidate with the endorsement of all major political parties. The Constitutional Court’s final tallies reported that he received 94.9 per cent of the votes. There were seven other candidates (all independent) in the election, only one of whom is a woman. Among the other candidates only Alain Claude Bilie-By-Nze (who had been prime minister until the 2023 coup) received more than 1 per cent of the vote (with 3 per cent). The Constitutional Court reported turnout of 70.1 per cent, a significant increase from the reported provisional 56.6 per cent turnout in the 2023 presidential election. Observers from the Commonwealth found the election to be ‘largely transparent… and conducted in accordance with the established legislative framework of Gabon.’ The final phase of the transition will include the organization of legislative and local elections scheduled for 27 September and 11 October 2025. 

Sources: France24, Associated Press, TV5 Monde, The Commonwealth

Electoral participation significantly improved during Gabon’s first post-coup presidential election. In the official results certified by the Constitutional Court, turnout was registered at 70.1 per cent of the registered voters. This is a nearly 14-point increase from the 56.6 per cent turnout in the 2023 presidential election that immediately preceded the coup. The 2025 turnout is the highest reported level in Gabon in the last three decades. 

Sources: France24, Associated Press

Gabon passed a key milestone in its democratic transition on 16 November as voters approved a new constitution in a referendum, over a year after a coup d'état ended the 55-year rule of the Bongo family. According to the Constitutional Court, which validated the result on 29 November, the constitution was approved by 91.6 per cent of voters, with a turnout of 54.2 per cent. Among other changes, the new constitution abolishes the role of prime minister, prohibits dynastic succession and introduces a seven-year presidential term that may only be renewed once. The latter is one of several unamendable ‘eternity’ clauses. Such clauses also include an amnesty granted to those who took part in the 2023 coup and the definition of marriage, which is restricted to two people of the opposite sex. The constitution does not prevent Gabon’s military leader, Brice Oligui Nguema, from contesting the presidential election that is due to take place in August 2025.        

Sources: Gabon Constitution, Voice of America, Jeune Afrique, The Conversation