Gabon will hold a second round of legislative elections on October 11, after the country’s first parliamentary vote since the 2023 military coup produced no clear majority. Preliminary tallies show former president Ali Bongo Ondimba’s Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) winning three seats, with four additional seats taken on joint tickets shared with the Union of Builders for Development (UDB), the party aligned with the ruling transition. Outcomes in 77 constituencies remain undecided and will be settled in the run-offs, largely in head-to-head contests between the UDB and the PDG.
The polls are a key barometer of Gabon’s trajectory back to constitutional rule after the coup ended the Bongo family’s five-decade hold on power. They also follow the restoration of a presidential system after Gen. Brice Oligui Nguema won April’s election, alongside a new electoral code that permitted military figures—including Nguema—to run for office.
While parliament’s powers have been curtailed under the revamped system, the run-offs will shape the legislative balance that the presidency must navigate. Turnout, the conduct of the second round, and the final distribution of seats will be closely watched as indicators of the credibility of Gabon’s political transition and the space afforded to opposition forces. Official results are expected after the October 11 vote.
