Gabon: Brice Oligui Nguema’s UDB in the lead according to partial results

The Minister of the Interior, Hermann Immongault, read the results last night polling station by polling station. He said that three elections will have to be annulled in certain constituencies due to irregularities, and around twenty seats are still pending.

Despite its youth (the party was created a few months ago), the UDB is enjoying striking successes: several ministers who ran were elected in the first round, and the party appears to have won “all the major duels,” according to Gabonese media.

However, the path is not clear: the UDB will have to confirm its position in the second round scheduled for October 11, in the constituencies still in contention.

The Parti démocratique gabonais (PDG), the former hegemonic party, appears to be lagging but still has several candidates in the running for the second round.

The final verdict, along with any appeals to the Constitutional Court, will be decisive in shaping Gabon’s political balance in the years to come.