Gabon: 120% of voters, the vote that defies the laws of mathematics

Has Gabon just experienced one of the biggest electoral scandals in its recent history?

According to the government's official "Referendum 2024 Trends" document ( available in PDF here ), one might wonder. What was supposed to be a crucial democratic exercise has turned into a real electoral farce, where the figures presented defy logic, mathematics and common sense. A fraud on a countrywide scale, in the silence of local and international observers.

A "perfect" participation that raises doubts

Why not 200%? 🤣 pic.twitter.com/FodJUrlUW8

— OVENG Ndoum'Obame (@richie_ndomez) November 17, 2024

In several localities of the country, the results revealed leave one speechless. Some offices show participation rates of 100%, where each registered voter not only turned out, but voted unanimously for the "YES". Thus, in Ondili, the 178 registered voters all voted for the "YES". Same thing in Eyouga, where the 308 voters followed the same pattern.

This phenomenon, observable in dozens of offices across the country, transforms the vote into an improbable demonstration of absolute unity.

Within the diaspora, the scenario is no more credible. In Bata, Equatorial Guinea, all 30 Gabonese voters voted "YES". In China, the results of the three polling stations (Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan) are close to 97% for "YES", without any mention of the remaining votes or possible abstentions. In France, on the other hand, where the Gabonese diaspora is most present, the scores are well balanced: 51% for "NO". How can we believe in such results in a country where electoral abstention and divergent opinions are commonplace?

The numbers remain inconsistent to this day. Look at the numbers from Ngouabi office 5, and this is just one example among many others... pic.twitter.com/UN0qgqp1OR

— Claire Kodia (@ClaireKodiOff) November 18, 2024

Numbers that defy the laws of mathematics

You only have to look at the huge turnout, the 100% plebiscites in several departments and the speed of the counting to know that the CEO has been resurrected pic.twitter.com/OklZ34I6q3

— Moi MAKAYA (@Moi_Makaya) November 17, 2024

Beyond these miraculous turnout rates, inconsistencies in the figures abound. In the Zadié department, for example, there were 1,158 voters but 1,307 votes cast. Where did these 149 additional votes come from? At the Abidjan polling station, a turnout rate announced at 85.09% simply does not correspond to the announced figures of registered and voting voters.

The percentages shown in the document also appear to have been calculated at random. Many polling stations report rates that do not correspond to the totals indicated. These blatant errors reflect either incomprehensible negligence or a deliberate desire to manipulate the results. Thus, for example, we find one polling station that displays 118% participation.

A deafening silence from international observers

While this masquerade is taking place before the eyes of the world, the international observation missions are conspicuous by their silence. Present in large numbers (more than 600 observers from the European Union, the African Union and the Commonwealth), they have not yet issued any public criticism.

This silence is as disturbing as it is unacceptable. How can we remain silent in the face of such a democratic shipwreck? Isn't their role to guarantee the transparency and credibility of electoral processes?

Organized opacity

So this is the level of mediocrity with which the CTRI PDG intends to manage the country for the next 14 years?

— Ambigux 🇬🇦🏴‍☠️🇵🇸 (@Sonovic7) November 17, 2024

The document is also full of glaring absences and omissions. In some polling stations, the results are posted without mentioning the number of registered voters. In Zoatab Polling Station 2, for example, 182 voters are reported, all for the “YES” vote, but no information on the total number of registered voters. This lack of rigor makes any independent verification impossible and casts an opaque veil over the legitimacy of the results.

In the Lekabi Lewolo department, all the polling stations show unanimous participation rates and results for the "YES". From Ondili to Okangoville, every registered voter would have voted favorably, without exception. The very idea of ​​political disagreement seems to have been eradicated in this region.

A democracy to rebuild

Can someone explain to me how we lost 18% of participation in one day? I'm interested, thanks pic.twitter.com/ijigXB2KjR

— Fleur de Miranda 👑 (@fleur_miranda) November 17, 2024

This referendum, which was supposed to strengthen Gabon's democratic legitimacy, has emerged as a total fiasco. The figures put forward by the authorities are not simply errors, they are an insult to the intelligence of the Gabonese people. Faced with such a disaster, international institutions and citizens must demand an independent investigation.

Gabon deserves better. Its voters deserve better. A democracy cannot thrive on such fragile and fraudulent foundations. As long as such scandals go unpunished, trust in institutions cannot be restored.

Silence cannot be the answer. It is time for action.