By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Authorities have released the timetable for Gabon’s September 27 local and parliamentary elections.
Also, members of the National Election Commission in the West African nation have been sworn-in by the Constitutional Court.
Update of the country’s voters’ register will take effect from Monday, July 14 and will continue until August 12. This is to ensure that new voters are added and deceased or ineligible voters are removed from the register.
During the process, changes in voting centres and voters’ personal data will also be updated on the register.
Voters aged 18 and above who have Personal Identification Number (PIN) are automatically registered and are only required to choose their polling units.
Nominations for candidates to stand for the legislative and local elections are open from July 27 to August 7.
The Ministry of the Interior and the National Election Commission have reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring “credible, transparent and peaceful” elections, calling 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 (UDB). He secured nearly 95 percent of the vote in April’s presidential election that brought him to power.
Analysts have expressed concern that the launch of the UDB appears to signal Nguema’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.
