Elections In Gabon : Vote Counting Continues

Few days after the holding of general elections in Gabon, the population is eagerly waiting for the proclamation of the results by the Gabonese Center for Elections (GCE). There is no deadline in the Gabonese Constitution for the results to be proclaimed. Yet, the opposition parties are already claiming victory. But such declarations have not been confirmed by any official source.     
Aljazeera reports that to avert any post-election violence like was the case in 2016, the government immediately after the voting exercise imposed a nationwide curfew and cut off internet access. Speaking on State television, the Minister of Communications, Rodrigue Mboumba Bissawou, said the aim of the night curfew from 7 P.M. to 6 A.M. and the restriction of internet access was for the “interest of the nation.” He added that it was also to avoid calls for violence and spreading of “false information” through social networks. He insisted that henceforth, any person who intends to hold a public gathering, must apply for an authorization three days before organizing any meeting or demonstration.    
In a video that has gone viral on social media, the “Alternance 2023” candidate, Albert Ondo Ossa, former Minister of Education, has denounced “fraud” and demanded to be proclaimed winner. While also calling on incumbent President Ali Bongo to “leave”, “vouching” for his safety, the former minister under Omar Bongo called on the “international community” to be witness because, “The time has come for Ali Bongo to leave, there will be no negotiation and I will never accept to be his Prime Minis...