Politics of Gabon, from the Constitution to elections and diplomacy
How does the politics of Gabon work?
The politics of Gabon rest on the Constitution approved by referendum on 16 November 2024 and published in the Official Journal on 19 December 2024. It establishes a presidential system in which the President of the Republic, elected for seven years, is also head of government, and a Parliament made up of a National Assembly and a Senate.
The Constitution and executive power
The president is elected by direct universal suffrage for seven years, with only one re-election possible; no one may serve more than two successive terms. The vote takes place in a single round. The post of Prime Minister has been abolished. The president appoints and dismisses a Vice-President of the Republic, responsible for assisting the president and exercising the functions delegated to them, as well as a Vice-President of the Government, who coordinates government action.
The organisation of elections falls to the Ministry of the Interior and no longer to an independent electoral commission. Any candidate for the presidency must speak at least one national language, and members of the military may now stand.
From military transition to legislative elections
The military transition began in August 2023, after the fall of President Ali Bongo Ondimba, with a transition charter adopted on 2 September 2023. General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema was elected President of the Republic on 12 April 2025, which opened the Fifth Republic.
The legislative and local elections were held from 27 September 2025, with a second round on 11 October. According to provisional figures from the Ministry of the Interior, the Democratic Union of Builders, the head of state's party, won 103 of the 145 seats in the National Assembly, against 16 for the Gabonese Democratic Party. Michel Régis Onanga Ndiaye was elected Speaker of the Assembly in November 2025, and the presidential party also prevailed in the Senate elections. A new government was formed in January 2026.
Parliament and constitutional justice
Deputies are elected by direct universal suffrage for five years, renewable. Senators, elected by indirect suffrage for five years, also renewable, represent local authorities. Each chamber elects its president and bureau for the duration of the legislature.
The Constitutional Court has nine members appointed for eight years, plus ex officio members, including former presidents of the Republic. Three are appointed by the President of the Republic, two by the Speaker of the National Assembly, two by the President of the Senate and two by the Judicial Service Commission. Among other things, the Court validated the population census results in August 2026.
Diplomacy and Gabon's regional organisations
Gabon is a member of CEMAC and of ECCAS, the Economic Community of Central African States, which readmitted it in March 2024. The African Union lifted its suspension and readmitted it on 30 April 2025. The Commonwealth, of which the country has been a member since 2022, lifted its partial suspension in July 2025.
The president took part in July 2025 in a summit held in Washington at the invitation of his American counterpart. He was received by Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on 30 October 2025, and French President Emmanuel Macron made a state visit to Libreville on 23 and 24 November 2025.