Gabon’s Ping Challenges 49-Year Rule by One Family in Gabon
- Election pits President Bongo against former ally Jean Ping
- Vote is likely to be most competitive ever in oil producer
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Gabon’s presidential elections on Saturday will pit two former allies against each other in what may be the closest-ever vote in the oil-rich nation that’s been ruled by one family for 49 years.
The two main contenders are President Ali Bongo, who’s seeking a second seven-year term in office, and Jean Ping, a former chairman of the African Union Commission who broke with the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party in 2014. Eleven other candidates are vying for the presidency in the central African nation that rejoined the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries this year amid a slump in oil revenue.