Gabon cuts access to internet, broadcasts as citizens wait for election results

Gabon President Ali Bongo Ondimba delivers a speech at the Nzang Ayong stadium in Libreville on 10 July 2023, a day after he announced that he would seek a third term as the oil-rich African nation's head of state. AFP - STEEVE JORDAN

Gabon has come under fire for cutting internet access and restricting media broadcasts during the weekend's elections. As vote counting continues, opposition leader Albert Ondo Ossa denounced "fraud" in his battle for the presidency against incumbent Ali Bongo Ondimba.

The government cut off the internet on Saturday evening and put a curfew in place citing the risk of violence as voting drew to a close in the race between incumbent Ali Bongo Ondimba and his main opponent, Albert Ondo Ossa.

Earlier in the day, the opposition had denounced the way the election was being conducted, calling it a "fraud orchestrated by Ali Bongo and his supporters".

Later that evening, the communication authority announced "the provisional ban on the broadcasting in Gabon of France 24, RFI and TV5 Monde".

It accused them of "a lack of objectivity and balance... in connection with the current general elections".

In a statement on Sunday, France Medias Monde, the parent company of RFI and France 24, said it "regrets and is surprised by this provisional suspension, which lacks foundation," adding that it "deprives the Gabonese of two of their main sources of reliable and independent information".

The elections in Gabon – presidential, legislative and municipal – have gone ahead without the presence of election observers.

Bongo, the scion of a family that has ruled for 55 years, is seeking victory over a newly united opposition.

Mes Chers Compatriotes,

Fini la récréation, place à l’action !

Que ces numéros servent afin de faire valoir ce que de droit. #osonscroire#A2O #Gabon23 pic.twitter.com/ntGr0FHOcU

— Ondo Ossa Albert (@OndoOssaA_) August 26, 2023

Disorganised 

Onda Ossa – a 69-year-old economics professor who served as a minister under Bongo from 2006 to 2009 – was chosen by the main opposition grouping, Alternance 2023, as its joint candidate just eight days before the election.

The opposition accused the Bongo government of deliberately creating a disorganised election.

Onda Ossa's team said that he was only able to cast his vote after his polling station opened eight hours behind schedule.

Francois Ndong Obiang, president of Alternance 2023, told French news agency AFP that many others had experienced similar delays and that ballots listing Ondo Ossa's name were missing in some polling stations.

Appealing to the international community, Ondo Ossa added: "The moment has come for Ali Bongo to leave. There will be no negotiation. I'm not afraid of him."

Paris-based media rights campaigners Reporters Without Borders (RSF) denounced the fact that foreign journalists had been largely restricted from covering the election.

#Gabon

"International journalists have been denied accreditation to cover these elections ... I am very concerned about the lack of election observers in this election. This is not good and not enough." -@mays_kingahttps://t.co/IIiL3l7YYV @IgnatiusAnnor

— Vanguard Africa (@VanguardAfrica) August 25, 2023

(with AFP)