In the lead-up to Gabon’s presidential election on 12 April 2025, only four out of the 23 candidates who submitted their applications were deemed eligible to run, according to Interior Minister Hermann Immongault.
Announcing the results on Sunday 9 March, H. Immongault confirmed that 19 candidates had been rejected, though they still have the opportunity to appeal the decision within 72 hours to the Constitutional Court. The election promises to be closely contested, with significant political figures vying for the presidency.
Among the four candidates cleared to participate, there are notable names such as Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, the leader of the military coup that ousted the Bongo regime, and Alain-Claude Bilie By Nze, the last prime minister under Ali Bongo. Other contenders include doctor Stéphane Germain Iloko, a former member of the PDG party, and Joseph Lapensée Essigone, a tax inspector and lawyer. These candidates are running as independents in the upcoming election, offering a diverse range of options for voters.
Several prominent figures were among those rejected, including union leader Jean-Rémy Yama, who was disqualified for lacking his father’s birth certificate, citing the fact that his father was born in 1920 when Gabon did not exist as an administrative entity. Other candidates, such as Pierre Claver Maganga Moussavou and Marlène Essola Effoutamane, were also rejected, with the former excluded due to age restrictions and the latter protesting the tailored nature of the electoral rules. Despite these setbacks, many rejected candidates have vowed to contest the decision in court.