A Commonwealth Expert Team (CET) was deployed to Gabon to observe the Constitutional Referendum which was held in November 2024. At the end of their mission, they offered some reflections on the process.
In a statement, the members of the CET said:
“The Commonwealth Expert Team would like to acknowledge and thank the Government and the people of Gabon for this invitation. It was an honour to observe its first voting process since Gabon became a member of the Commonwealth family.
The team was encouraged by the enthusiasm and professionalism of the poll workers and pleased by the calm and orderly voting process.
Our technical team observed in Libreville, and around the provinces of Estuaire and Moyen-Ogooué. We found that poll workers arrived at their duty stations on time, eager and ready to support voters to exercise their civic duty and that citizens waited patiently to do so.
However, as with any process, we note some areas of improvement to conform to international best practices. This includes the need for better voter education and polling staff training to ensure consistency and accuracy in understanding the polling process; better identification for polling staff; better signage for polling stations; and appropriate support for voters who could not find their names on the roll so that they would not be unnecessarily turned away.
We note with disappointment that some observers were turned away from some polling stations in the 1ere arrondissement in Libreville. Such incidents could undermine transparency and may have been avoided with better training on the roles and the importance of observers.
The absence of a clear tabulation system and the burning of ballot papers after the count are against international best practice to ensure accurate counting. Further, the lack of voter engagement, especially among youth, is a concern.
Nonetheless, the Commonwealth Expert Team were encouraged by the progress they witnessed and commends the efforts to continue to support Gabon, a valued member of the Commonwealth family, through this journey.
We encourage Gabon to utilise the capacity-building support offered by the Commonwealth Secretariat, and we look forward to a successful transition to democracy. It was a privilege to witness an important milestone in Gabon’s history."
Media contact
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Temitope Kalejaiye, Public Relations and Engagement Officer, Commonwealth Secretariat
- M: +233548134343 | Email
