Gabon coup leader eyes seven-year mandate in presidential vote

A general view of a junction in Nzeng-Ayong, a day ahead of the 2025 Gabonese presidential election, in Libreville, Gabon April 11, 2025. REUTERS/Luc Gnago

LIBREVILLE (Reuters) -Gabon's coup leader Brice Oligui Nguema looked to cement his grip on power as the oil-producing Central African nation held a presidential election on Saturday that analysts expected to be a one-sided affair.

Nineteen months after overthrowing President Ali Bongo, whose family ruled Gabon for more than half a century, Nguema, 50, has pitched himself as a change agent cracking down on the corrupt old guard.