Gabon is still waiting for the election results, and the arrest of the opposition member

Gabon is still awaiting results after the general elections scheduled for August 26, 2023. We have voted for the presidential, legislative and local elections. An unprecedented three-way ballot was marred by delays and disruptions.

The opposition coalition, Alternative 2023, has already spoken out about fraud and declared victory. The government cut off internet service, as well as many RFI, F24 and TV5 media outlets. A curfew has also been imposed since the evening of August 27.

On the ground, the country remains calm, and the Gabonese election center is crunching the numbers, even if political tensions start to rise.

Read alsoGabon: ensuring “very favorable” trends, and the opposition wants a “peaceful transfer of power”

Frankie Mpa Ondo, vice president of REAGIR, was arrested Tuesday morning. According to the opposition party, he was transferred to the B2 military intelligence headquarters in Libreville. ” This is arbitrary detention. No reason was given The head of the movement, Francois Ndong Obiang, said.

The latter specifies that the security forces have been deployed since Sunday, not far from his home, or the home of other dissidents such as Alexandre Barrot-Champerier, or even the REAGIR headquarters that serves as the political headquarters of the main opposition coalition. Alternation 2023.

The election results are still central

Law enforcement forces are also deployed near the home of Albert Ondo Osa, the only candidate for the platform, who has been recommended by those around him not to leave his home. ” It is intimidation and an attempt to create an incident that justifies repression. We asked people to ignore it and live normally ” – said one of the politicians.

As for the elections, their results are still central. The local electoral commissions forward the minutes to the district level. And then everything will go to the national level. Environment Secretary Lee White wrote this morning on Network X that he was waiting for the final announcement, and that the government shut down the internet as a precaution, after provocative statements from opponents.