Gabon’s government blocked internet access and imposed a nightly curfew across the country, on Saturday (August 26) after polling stations after the general election where President Ali Bongo launched his bid to extend his family’s 56-year grip on power against the newly united opposition. The elections were also marked by major voting delays, reported Reuters.
About the ‘delayed’ elections
According to Reuters, the voting was due to start at 0700 GMT but at least five polling stations in the capital Libreville saw voters waiting hours for polls to open.
“This election is very tense because I don’t think a vote in our country has ever started so late,” voter Jeff Mbou at a polling station in Libreville’s Martine Oulabou school, where voting started nearly four hours late, told Reuters.
It was not immediately clear the extent to which these delays, if at all, affected the voters and their ability to cast their votes on time. After the president, Gabon’s 850,000 will also be choosing candidates for the legislature and local councils.
There is no fixed deadline for the announcement of results. However, the recent changes to the voting system could further complicate the aftermath, said Remadji Hoinathy, a researcher at the Africa-focused Institute for Security Studies, as per Reuters.
According to Hoinathy, the introduction of a ballot requires voters to pick a presidential candidate and lawmaker from the same party.
Critics have said that the move will favour the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) since the opposition candidate is not backed by any single party. Albert Ondo Ossa (69) has told AFP that if elected he will “dissolve parliament and convene new elections” for the body.
This opposition has also raised concerns about the recent constitutional change to abolish two rounds of voting for the president.
Internet restrictions and curfew
The incumbent government on Saturday evening after the polls closed, cut the internet until further notice and imposed a night-time curfew from Sunday “in order to prevent any misbehaviour and to preserve the security of the entire population,” reported Reuters.
The curfews will begin at 7:00 pm (local time) and go on till 6:00 am (local time), said the government in a statement.
The nationwide internet shutdown was confirmed by Netblocks internet observatory which also noted that the move would “likely to severely limit the public’s ability to communicate during the election period”.
The joint opposition candidate and his alliance, earlier on Saturday also questioned the legitimacy of the outcome while accusing the Bongo government of deliberately creating a disorganised election.
Ondo Ossa’s team, as per AFP, said that he was only able to cast his vote after his polling station opened eight hours behind schedule. Meanwhile, opposition alliance Alternance 2023’s president told the news agency that many others had experienced similar delays and claimed that the ballots listing Ondo Ossa’s name were missing in some polling stations.
In response to these accusations, Bongo’s campaign spokesperson Freddhy Koula, in an online post said, “The vote hasn’t even finished yet, and already the opposition is losing its nerve and its composure. This attempt to sow discord, because defeat is near, will not work.”
Candidates and controversy
The race is currently between incumbent 64-year-old Bongo who took over Gabon after his father Omar in 2009 and is currently seeking a third term against 18 challengers, six of whom backed a joint nominee in an effort to narrow the race.
Bongo’s main threat is Ondo Ossa, an economics and management professor whose campaign was largely based on the need for change and better economic opportunities.
However, the opposition figure’s campaign is not free of controversy. Ahead of the elections anger erupted over a purported conversation between Ondo Ossa and a fellow opposition figure about various strategies “to create a power struggle” and support from other countries.
The conversation was recorded without their knowledge and posted on social media.
Alternance 2023 has since released a statement strongly denying the “veracity and authenticity of this conversation” and accused the government of “shameful manipulation”.
(With inputs from agencies)
recommended stories
recommended stories
You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.
