LIBREVILLE, Gabon (AP) — Gen. Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, Gabon’s interim president who staged a 2023 coup that ended a decadeslong political dynasty, has been elected president, according to provisional results announced by the country’s interior ministry.
Oligui Nguema, 50, recorded a landslide victory with 90.35% of votes cast, defeating seven other candidates, including immediate past Prime Minister Alain Claude Bilie-By-Nze. He came in a distant second with 3% of votes cast, Interior Minister Hermann Immongault said as he announced the provisional results.
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Voters display their voting cards outside a polling station during the presidential elections, in Liberville, Gabon, Saturday, April 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Betines Makosso)
Voters queue to cast their votes for the presidential elections outside a polling station, in Liberville, Gabon, Saturday, April 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Betines Makosso)
Voters queue to cast their votes for the presidential elections outside a polling station, in Liberville, Gabon, Saturday, April 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Betines Makosso)
Voters queue to cast their votes for the presidential elections outside a polling station, in Liberville, Gabon, Saturday, April 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Betines Makosso)
Ballots for presidential candidates are placed on a table inside a polling station, in Liberville, Gabon, Saturday, April 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Betines Makosso)
Voters queue up outside a polling station to cast their votes for the presidential elections in Liberville, Gabon, Saturday, April 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Betines Makosso)
The Interior Ministry announced a turnout of 87.21% in the election in which some 920,000 voters, including over 28,000 overseas, were registered to participate across more than 3,000 polling stations.
It’s Gabon’s first election since the 2023 military coup that ended a political dynasty that lasted over 50 years. It was seen as a crucial election for the central African nation’s 2.3 million people, a third of whom live in poverty despite its vast oil wealth.
Bilie-By-Nze recently told The Associated Press that Oligui Nguema took advantage of state resources to support his campaign. The government denies this.
Local observers deemed the conduct of the election satisfactory in nearly all the polling stations monitored.
At least 94.8% of the polling stations observed operated under satisfactory conditions, while the transparency of operations was deemed satisfactory in 98.6% of cases, the Gabonese Civil Society Organizations Observation Mission said late Saturday.
Oligui Nguema, who has been serving as interim president, had his representatives present in 69.6% of the polling stations observed while Bilie-By-Nze's representation stood at just 8.2%, the observers said.
Oligui Nguema, the former head of the country's Republican Guard, toppled President Ali Bongo Ondimba nearly two years ago. He hopes to consolidate his grip on power for a seven-year term in office.
After casting his ballot on Saturday in the capital, Libreville, the interim president said he felt proud of the citizens seeking to "turn the page to join the new Republic.”
In a video message shared after he voted in the north of the country, Bilie-By-Nze said he was concerned that unused voting cards could be used for potential electoral fraud.
Voters who spoke to the AP were divided on how the military has performed since taking over power in 2023, with most saying they have failed in their promises.
“I’m telling you that for me, the military has failed,” said Antoine Nkili, a 27-year-old unemployed man with a master’s degree in law. “They promised to reform the institutions, but they haven’t. Instead, they’ve enriched themselves.”
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Asadu reported from Abuja, Nigeria.
Voters display their voting cards outside a polling station during the presidential elections, in Liberville, Gabon, Saturday, April 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Betines Makosso)
Voters queue to cast their votes for the presidential elections outside a polling station, in Liberville, Gabon, Saturday, April 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Betines Makosso)
Voters queue to cast their votes for the presidential elections outside a polling station, in Liberville, Gabon, Saturday, April 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Betines Makosso)
Voters queue to cast their votes for the presidential elections outside a polling station, in Liberville, Gabon, Saturday, April 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Betines Makosso)
Ballots for presidential candidates are placed on a table inside a polling station, in Liberville, Gabon, Saturday, April 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Betines Makosso)
Voters queue up outside a polling station to cast their votes for the presidential elections in Liberville, Gabon, Saturday, April 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Betines Makosso)
NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.
The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.
About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.
“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”
The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.
The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.
“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”
New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.
"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.
The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.
The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.
Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.
The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.
The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.
Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.
Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”
“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.
State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”
The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.
It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.
Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)
