Gabon is preparing to hold general elections, including presidential, legislative, and municipal elections, on August 26th. According to the Minister of State in charge of the Ministry of the Interior, Lambert-Noël Matha, over 846,000 voters are expected to exercise their right to vote.
During an official ceremony for the handover of electoral materials to the president of the Gabonese Electoral Center (CGE), Lambert-Noël Matha revealed that 846,822 voters will go to the polls on August 26th. Among them, 830,729 voters reside within the national territory, while 16,093 are registered abroad. These figures mark a considerable increase compared to the last electoral revision in 2018, which had recorded 688,702 voters.
The Minister of State explained that this increase is partly due to the registration of first-time voters, i.e., young people who have reached the age of 18 between 2019 and 2023. In addition, some citizens who had exceeded the voting age but had never been registered have also registered this time, contributing to the expansion of the electoral college.
The electoral campaign for the election of the President of the Gabonese Republic will begin on August 11th, giving candidates the opportunity to present their programs and solicit the support of voters.
Despite the significant number of candidates in the race, with 19 candidatures approved for the presidential election, some actors in civil society, sages, and even opposition political parties believe that the electoral process is poorly engaged and have expressed their wish to see the election postponed. However, with over 846,000 voters ready to participate in the vote, the elections on August 26th promise to be a crucial moment in Gabon’s political life. The country’s citizens will have the opportunity to decide the future of their nation by electing their leaders for the years to come.
