Gabonese President Ali Bongo begins campaign for re-election

Ali Bongo, a Gabonese politician who is the third and current president of Gabon, has started campaigning for re-election, which is scheduled to be held in Gabon on 26 August 2023.

Earlier this month, Ali Bongo campaigned in remote areas. The current president urged people to vote for him in the upcoming election. He said that he would fulfill his promises in a third term. The current president further promised them higher family subsidies, cuts to public school fees, and higher standard of living. 

Ali Bongo, who has been in power for almost 14 years, is seeking a third term in the upcoming presidential elections. He is the son of Omar Bongo, who was the President of Gabon from 1967 to 2009. 

Opposition parties want to end Ali Bongo’s family’s 56-year grip on power in the country. In the upcoming election, Ali Bongo Ondimba will face 18 other candidates, out of which, six have backed a joint candidate. 

Keep Reading

• Gabon president turning country into monarchy: opposition leader
• Gabon senate votes in favour of pro-gay law
• President Ali Bongo Ondimba seeks a third term in Gabon’s Presidential elections

On Monday, Gabon’s President Ali Bongo Ondimba said in a rally, “We will win it, because I have a vision of what the future of Gabon should be. I heard you. I know where your priorities are. I know where you want us to go all out.” He also promised to decrease unemployment in the country and provide job opportunities to people. 

Ali Bongo Ondimba’s main challenger is Albert Ondo Ossa, who was picked by an alliance of six main opposition parties’ on Friday. Five candidates agreed to support the candidacy of Albert Ondo Ossa for the August 26 presidential election.

Albert Ondo Ossa also promised job opportunities to youth. He reportedly said, “We have to manage Gabon differently. Our youth has the right to have something else, especially in this country of such immeasurable wealth.”

Political tension is intense ahead of the vote.