Commonwealth Observers Praise Gabon’s Peaceful Presidential Election Process

The Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) has praised the conduct of Gabon’s April 12 presidential election, describing the vote as peaceful, calm, and largely transparent.

Led by the former President of Seychelles, Danny Faure, the Group issued its interim statement at a press conference in Libreville, highlighting both the strengths of the electoral process and areas for improvement.

“It is the view of the Commonwealth Observer Group that this election appeared largely transparent, was peaceful, and conducted in accordance with the established legislative framework of Gabon, and that citizens were able to freely exercise their franchise,” Faure said.

He added, “We congratulate and commend the people of Gabon for exercising their right to vote and reaffirming their faith in the principles of democracy.”

The COG commended Gabon’s citizens, electoral officials, and stakeholders for their role in ensuring a smooth voting process. The Group also noted improvements in the country’s media environment.

The interim report observed that “media stakeholders [are] experiencing reduced state interference in editorial content,” but emphasized the need for “enforcement of equal airtime, and to give all candidates access to traditional media – especially government owned media – in order to maintain a level playing field for all contestants.”

On civic engagement, the Group urged the government to do more to encourage public participation in the democratic process. “Enhanced civic participation would enable citizens to make informed decisions and engage more effectively in the democratic process,” the report stated.

It further advised the authorities to “allow longer periods for raising public awareness on voting and civic engagement (as a constitutional right).”

However, the Group expressed concern about the early release of electoral data, cautioning that it could erode public trust.

“While counting had barely commenced, there were already official projections of voter turnout and participation rates. The Group cautions on the communications of statistics before final verification as this could potentially undermine trust in the process,” the statement warned.

Looking ahead, the Group recommended a post-election review and called for “a suitable, locally driven mechanism to evaluate all recommendations made by both citizen and international observer missions – especially as the country prepares to return to the polls for legislative and municipal elections.”

Before departing Gabon, the Commonwealth Observer Group will finalize and submit a comprehensive report to the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey. The report will be shared with the Government of Gabon, the Ministry of Interior, and other key stakeholders, including the public.