(MENAFN) Voters in Gabon are once more heading to the polls for the runoff of the legislative elections.

The ten-day campaign period for this second phase commenced on October 1 and concluded on Friday.

Nearly 900,000 Gabonese citizens were eligible to participate in the initial round of legislative voting held on September 27.

This marked the country’s first legislative election since a 2023 military coup removed former President Ali Bongo from power.

The Democratic Union of Builders (UDB), the party led by President Brice Oligui Nguema, secured a plurality in the first round by winning 55 out of 145 seats in the National Assembly, according to provisional figures released by the Interior Ministry.

The second round involves 77 constituencies where no candidate achieved an outright majority, as reported by the national electoral commission.

The main competition in this runoff is primarily between the UDB and the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG), the party of former President Ali Bongo, which only managed to win three seats in the first round.

During the campaigns, both parties actively sought to win over undecided voters. Political analysts suggest that the UDB aims to build on its strong initial performance in this next stage.

On Friday, Nguema expressed satisfaction with the first-round results but urged all participants in the electoral process to “double their efforts to guarantee the integrity and transparency of the next round.”

He further emphasized the importance of collective responsibility to maintain a peaceful atmosphere during the elections and to prevent any political unrest.

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