Gabon approves coup leader and ex-PM among candidates for presidential vote

FILE PHOTO: President of the Transition of the Gabonese Republic Brice Oligui Nguema addresses the "Summit of the Future" in the General Assembly hall at United Nations headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 23, 2024. REUTERS/David Dee Delgado/File Photo

LIBREVILLE (Reuters) - Gabon's Constitutional Court has approved a list of eight candidates to run in the Central African nation's presidential election next month, including interim President Brice Oligui Nguema, who seized power in a military coup in 2023.

Although transitional leaders are not usually allowed to run for election, Gabon approved a new constitution by a landslide in November that exempted Nguema, stoking opposition and analyst concerns that the junta would seek to remain in power.