They demand “a truly inclusive transition” and the “immediate and transparent” publication of a “detailed” electoral calendar
Jan. 9 (EUROPA PRESS) –
Four prominent Gabon opponents have demanded that the military be excluded from the next elections and that “a truly inclusive transition” be promoted, in the midst of preparations for elections that would shelve the political process opened after the overthrow of Ali Bongo in a coup d’état in August 2023.
Thus, Albert Ondo Ossa – who came second in the 2023 elections and denounced fraud in favor of Bongo, proclaiming himself the winner -, Alain-Claude Billie-By-Nze, Pierre-Claver Maganga Moussavou and Ali Akbar Onanga, In a joint press conference, they presented an initiative to guarantee “peaceful, democratic, inclusive, free and transparent” elections.
“This initiative is specific and does not seek to standardize ideas or merge identities,” said Onanga, spokesperson for the group, who has also denounced “the unilateral actions of the military authorities” and has demanded “concrete steps to return the country to path to a transition that is truly inclusive, transparent and respectful of the rights and aspirations of the Gabonese.”
In this sense, he has maintained that this group of politicians demands “the return of the soldiers of the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions (CTRI) – the official name of the junta – to their barracks after the end of the transition , with a formal prohibition on them being candidates for the next elections”.
Onanga has also charged against “the haste and opacity” in the process of organizing the elections and has demanded “the immediate and transparent publication of a detailed calendar for the transition”, according to the Gabonese portal Gabon Media Time.
In this way, he has asserted that the four politicians “firmly and categorically reject the exclusionary process currently launched by the transitional authorities”, in line with the criticism against the constitutional referendum held in November 2024, which ended with an overwhelming victory for the ‘yes’ and that reinforces the presidential system in the African country.
The vote was the first in Gabon after the overthrow of Bongo in a coup led by General Brice Oligui Nguema, currently transitional president, following allegations of fraud by the opposition in the 2023 elections, although Ondo Ossa and others Opponents refused to recognize the authority of the junta.
Nguema had promised to hand over power to civil authorities after a two-year transition period, although he has not ruled out the possibility that the vote, which should take place in 2025, will be postponed, amid rumors about the possibility that present himself as a candidate to continue leading the African country after the end of this interim period.
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