On Monday, February 13, discussions in advance of Gabon’s August presidential election are scheduled to start, bringing up painful memories of the 2016 election, which was marked by violence and a raid on the headquarters of the leading opposition candidate.
Governmental advocacy groups and representatives from religious institutions were not invited to the conference.
Marc Ona, who is the director of Tournons La Page, a coalition of six civil society organizations, asserts that the tone of the bishops offended the administration.
They talked in front of a Vatican official and people from civil society, which frequently criticizes the way governments are run and their organizational structures.
When you look at the composition of the government and the opposition, these are people who know each other. Maybe they don’t want the church and the clergy to be able to intervene to stop them from doing their thing,” he iterated.
Despite being excluded from the meetings, civil society activists are clear about the ideas they feel would help to enhance election governance and that they had thought would be discussed.
“We need to review the electoral law. We need an impartial election organizing body. You have followed the election of the president of the electoral commission. It was a member of the government who was elected. This does not bode well for the organization of elections,” Ona went on to emphasize.
He suggests that a neutral individual, such as a member of the clergy, should hold this role.