Gabon launches electoral process for September 27 local and legislative elections

The electoral process for Gabon’s local and legislative elections is officially underway.

The timetable for the September 27 vote has been announced and members of the national election commission have been sworn in by the Constitutional Court.

The revision of electoral rolls across the country begins on July 14 and continues until August 12. This will ensure new voters are added and deceased or ineligible voters removed from the rolls. It will also register any changes of voting centre and update personal data.

People aged 18 and over with a Personal Identification Number (PIN) are automatically registered and need only choose their polling center.

Local electoral commissions will be set up by July 26 and deployed across the country and abroad.

Nominations for the legislative and local elections are open from July 27 to August 7.

Fifth Republic

The Ministry of the Interior and national election commission reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring “credible, transparent and peaceful” elections, and called on citizens to play an active part in building the Fifth Republic.

Last week, two years after seizing power in a coup, President Brice Oligui Nguema unveiled a new political party, the Democratic Union of Builders, or UDB. Oligui secured nearly 95 percent of the vote in April’s presidential election.

The launch of the UDB appears to signal Oligui’s intent to transition from military leader to long-term political figure. While he initially presented himself as a reformer leading a transitional government, the creation of a political party gives structure to his leadership and a platform for future governance.