Biometric voter registration underway in Gabon ahead of presidential vote

A nationwide exercise to biometrically register Gabonese for a presidential election in the country this year is well underway.

The voter registration exercise is now well into its second week after it was launched on January 2, according to reporting by local outlet Gabon Actu. The exercise is previewed to end on January 31, and will add to the 850,000 names currently in the electoral database.

For two weeks now, teams dispatched under the authority of the Ministry of Interior and Security have been enrolling citizens in different enrollment centers in major cities and small towns and communities.

Officials say the exercise mainly concerns young Gabonese who have just attained the legal voting age of 18, as well as those who intend to change their polling stations for one reason or the other.

Gabon Actu reports that its findings on the field indicate the process has been unfolding without major hitches. It narrates that enrollment teams have been effectively present on the field with biometric enrollment kits all functioning properly. However, some opposition leaders in the country have raised concerns about the exercise, questioning the potential credibility of the electoral register, according to a VOA Afrique report.

The company providing the voter registration solution for Gabon this year has not been mentioned officially, but we understand that Thales, still Gemalto in 2013, provided a biometric voter registration system for the country prior to general elections which were held that year.

Authorities are quoted as saying that there is a high level of enthusiasm in the current voter registration drive which is part of preparations by the military transitional government in the country to give way back to civilian rule.

Since August 30, 2023, Gabon has been under military rule, with Brigadier General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema serving as the military transitional leader. He was among those who ousted long-serving President Ali Bongo in a coup just days after a presidential election which was set to give the incumbent another five-year presidential mandate.

In his end-of-year message to Gabonese last month, Oligui Nguema urged them to show up massively and register for the upcoming elections which will be an opportunity for them to decide the country’s trajectory.

At the end of the exercise, authorities will conduct a de-duplication to expunge the names of dead persons and double entries in preparation for presidential, legislative and local elections.

The ongoing voter registration coincides with a move by the government to revise the country’s electoral law. An extraordinary session of parliament is currently ongoing as lawmakers are scrutinizing the new draft law, RFI reports.

Among the new aspects highlighted in the draft electoral code is the adoption of a new biometric voter registration system, and emphasis on the country’s biometric electoral register as one of the ways of ensuring credible and acceptable elections in Gabon.

Under the transitional government, Gabon has taken a major step towards its digital transformation drive, namely with the launch of a digital ID system and the issuance of national ID cards, the first to be issued in 12 years.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometrics  |  elections  |  Gabon  |  Thales Digital Identity and Security  |  voter registration