2023 Gabonese general election
General elections were held in Gabon on 26 August 2023.[1][2] Incumbent president Ali Bongo ran for re-election,[3] representing the Gabonese Democratic Party, which had ruled the country continuously since its independence from France in 1960, including 41 years under Bongo's father, Omar.
Turnout
56.65% 
Bongo was declared the winner on 30 August.[4][5] A coup d'état began shortly afterward, leading to the election results being annulled.[6][7]
Local and departmental elections were held the same day.[8]
Electoral system[edit]
The President of Gabon is elected for a five-year term (reduced from seven years in April 2023)[18] in a single round of voting by plurality; whichever candidate places first is deemed elected, regardless of whether the candidate secured an absolute majority of votes. This system is thought to be a disadvantage to the fractious opposition, which would appear to have little chance of winning unless it unites behind a single candidate.[19]
The 143 members of the National Assembly are elected from single-member constituencies using the two-round system.[20]
The elections were held using double simultaneous vote system, with voters casting a single ballot for their preferred candidate for president and National Assembly.[21]
Results[edit]
President[edit]
The national electoral body announced on Wednesday, 30 August, that President Ali Bongo Ondimba, already in office for 14 years, won re-election for a third term with 64.27 percent of the vote.
According to Michel Stephane Bonda, head of the Gabonese Elections Centre, on state television, Bongo defeated his major competitor Albert Ondo Ossa, who received 30.77 percent of the vote, in a single round of voting, while 12 other candidates split the remaining votes. The voter turnout was 56.65%.[25]