The lodging of an appeal at Gabon’s constitutional court against the outcome of the challenged presidential election of 27 August has been welcomed by the European Union as a crucial new stage in solving the post-election crisis in the country.
In a joint press release published on Sunday 11 September, a spokesperson for EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and a spokesperson for International Cooperation and Development Commissioner Neven Mimica said transparency and the objectivity of independent justice are the necessary guarantees for the legitimacy of election results and their acceptance by all.
African and international mediation convinced Jean Ping, who narrowly lost the election to Ali Bongo (by fewer than 6,000 votes) to agree as a last resort to appeal in court for a recounting of the vote in the re-elected president’s stronghold. The spokespersons said the efforts of the African Union’s peace and security commissioner, Smail Chergui, along with representatives of the United Nations and the International Francophonie Organisation to achieve this result had been fully supported by the EU.
The press release states that the EU’s election observation mission, which highlighted clear anomalies in the election, will remain in place until the end of the election process in order to observe the challenging of the election, according to a memorandum signed with the government (see EUROPE 11618).
The EU says it will continue to work to ensure a peaceful and fair settlement of the crisis, which will require strong post-electoral accompaniment from the international community. Ali Bongo made an appeal to the constitutional court a precondition for a recounting of the vote, but the opposition accuses the court of being biased in Ali Bongo’s favour. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)