The Democratic Union of Builders party, founded a few months ago by President Brice Clotaire Oligui Ngima, topped the first round of Gabon’s legislative elections, the first since the 2023 military coup that ended more than half a century of Bongo family rule.

According to provisional results announced by the Interior Minister, the presidential party won 55 out of 145 seats in the National Assembly, while the Gabonese Democratic Party, led by former President Ali Bongo Ondimba, secured only 3 seats.

A second round is scheduled for October 11 in 77 constituencies, where most contests will be between these two main parties.

These elections are part of a gradual return to constitutional order following the adoption of a new constitution via a 2024 referendum. The constitution enhances presidential powers while reducing the parliament’s role, which no longer has the authority to dismiss the government.

The elections were also held under a new electoral law that sparked widespread controversy, with the opposition criticizing it for facilitating military participation in the elections, including President Oligui Ngima, who won the presidential election in April.

Although the Interior Ministry and the civil monitoring mission described the first round as “satisfactory,” the door remains open for appeals until October 8 before the Constitutional Court.

These developments indicate that Gabon stands at a political crossroads between a path seeking to consolidate the legitimacy of the new regime and an opposition that believes the electoral rules still favor the incumbent power.