Gabonese presidential election 2016 Timeline Dates result winner candidates Opinion/Exit Poll 2016, Gabon presidential election result 2016, Gabon (Africa) Elections result 2016, Ali Bongo Ondimba, Jean Ping
Africa September 25, 2016,Gabonese presidential election 2016 Timeline Dates result winner candidates Opinion/Exit Poll 2016, Gabon presidential election result 2016, Gabon (Africa) Elections result 2016, Ali Bongo Ondimba, Jean Ping
Presidential elections were held in Gabon on 27 August 2016. Incumbent President Ali Bongo Ondimba ran for re-election and was challenged by former Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean Ping. On 31 August, the electoral commission proclaimed Bongo's re-election with a margin of less than two per cent. Protests broke out in the capital Libreville after the results were announced.
- The Bongo family will extend its 50-year rule over Gabon after the country’s constitutional court ruled Ali Bongo was the rightful winner of last month’s contested election.
- A claimed 99.9% turnout in Bongo’s stronghold, the province of Haut Ogooué, was roundly condemned. The 95% of eligible Haut Ogoouéans who voted for Bongo just tipped the balance and he was declared the victor with a margin of fewer than 5,000 votes.
- The constitutional court revised the figures for Haut Ogooué, saying there had been a 98% turnout, and that Bongo had won 83.2% to Ping’s 4.6%. It also cancelled the results from 21 polling stations in Libreville. The African Union went to dispatch a team of observers to the court, but some were barred from entering.
Electoral system
The President of Gabon is elected for a seven-year term 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 united behind a single candidate.
Gabon presidential election result 2016
Candidate | Party | Electoral vote | Percentage |
Ali Bongo Ondimba | PDG | 177,722 | 49.80% |
Jean Ping | UFC | 172,128 | 48.23% |
President before election | Ali Bongo Ondimba | ||
Elected President | Ali Bongo Ondimba |
Results were finally announced on 31 August, showing a narrow victory for Bongo, who won 49.8% of the vote against 48.2% for Ping. Turnout was placed at 59.5%.
Candidates ,Winner Party Votes
Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
Ali Bongo Ondimba | Gabonese Democratic Party | 177,722 | 49.8 |
Jean Ping | Union of Forces for Change | 172,128 | 48.23 |
Bruno Ben Moubamba | Independent | 1,896 | 0.53 |
Raymond Ndong Sima | Independent | 1,510 | 0.42 |
Pierre Claver Maganga Moussavou | Social Democratic Party | 1,130 | 0.32 |
Paul Mba Abessole | National Woodcutters' Rally – Rally for Gabon | 761 | 0.21 |
Gérard Ella Nguema | Independent | 583 | 0.16 |
Augustin Moussavou King | Gabonese Socialist Party | 553 | 0.15 |
Dieudonné Minlama Mintogo | Independent | 393 | 0.11 |
Abel Mbombe Nzoudou | Independent | 214 | 0.06 |
Invalid/blank votes | 16,420 | – | |
Total | 373,310 | 100 | |
Registered voters/turnout | 627,805 | 59.46 | |
Source: Interior Ministry, Interior Ministry |