The actions were taken, according to Communications Minister Rodrigue Mboumba Bissawou, to "counter the spread of calls for violence... and false information," he stated on state-run television.
Voters on Saturday morning grumbled that the polls opened significantly later than expected. Many polling places in Libreville, the capital, hadn't opened by 2:00 PM. According to the legislation, voting had to begin in the morning and last for 10 hours, according to Paulette Missambo, who dropped out of the campaign for president in favor of independent candidate Albert Ondo Ossa.
"I've voted at last. I arrived here around 6 a.m. I was only able to cast my ballot at noon because the polls opened at 11 am, according to Ballack Obame, a former student leader, who spoke to The Associated Press.
"In Gabon, I've never witnessed an election that didn't begin before 10 o'clock. It is very sad. Theophile Obiang, a senior citizen leaning on his cane, also told the AP, "I'm going home."
Candidates for president, parliamentarians, and local councils were on the ballot on Saturday, and opposition politicians are hoping that this would end the Bongo family's more than 50-year hold on power. There were about 847,000 eligible voters.
Ali Bongo, the current president, is running for a third term. Since 2009, he has served as the nation's president. Prior to that, his father ruled the oil-rich nation of Central Africa.
One of Bongo's key opponents in the 14-candidate presidential contest, Albert Ondo Ossa, asserted, "Gabon is not the property of the Bongos."
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