In the 1990 parliamentary elections it won 20 of the 120 seats in the National Assembly, becoming the largest opposition party.
[2] The RNB nominated Paul Mba Abessole as its candidate for the 1993 presidential elections; He finished second with 26.5% of the vote.
However, the following year Mba Abessole was elected mayor of Libreville, where the RNB had a majority on the municipal council.
In 1998 the party split, with a faction led by Pierre-André Kombila leaving to form the National Woodcutters' Rally – Democratic.
In the presidential elections later in the year, Mba Abessole finished third with 13% of the vote and Kombila fourth with 1.5%.