Voters in Gabon approved a constitutional referendum that will pave the way for elections to revert to democratic rule, according to provisional results announced Sunday by the country’s interior minister.
The results are expected to be validated by the Constitutional Court in the coming days. The draft constitution gives the presidency more powers to appoint members of the judiciary and dissolve parliament but bans family members of the president from succession. The draft constitution abolishes the post of prime minister and provides for a seven-year presidential term that can be renewed once. It also requires presidential candidates to be exclusively Gabonese, with at least one Gabon-born parent, and have a Gabonese spouse.
The referendum came more than a year ago after a group of senior Gabonese army officers deposed President Ali Bongo in August 2023. Following the coup, Gen. Brice Oligui Nguema, former commander of the Republican Guard, was sworn in as the country’s transitional president, ending 56 years of the so-called Bongo dynasty.
Gabon’s military rulers have said that the new constitution has been overwhelmingly approved in a referendum.
Speaking on state television, the Interior Minister Hermann Immongault said 91.8 percent of voters had said “Yes” to the charter, with a turnout estimated at 53.5 percent (860,000 eligible voters) whilst 8.20% said “No”.
The junta in power, led by interim President Brice Oligui Nguema, has promised it will be a stepping stone in the transition to democratic rule, tentatively scheduled for the summer of 2025.
In a move largely welcomed by the Gabonese, military officers seized power in a coup in August last year ousting President Ali Bongo.
It is alleged that his family had controlled the oil-rich country for almost 60 years but left a stagnant economy with a third of the population living in poverty.
The proposed new constitution sets a two-term limit on the presidency, each lasting seven years, No prime minister, No dynastic transfer of power, and recognizes French as Gabon’s working language.
After Bongo’s ouster, the military dissolved institutions formed a transitional parliament, and promised a two-year transition period.
Elections are scheduled for August 2025, and Nguema is expected to stand.
Additional Sources: Africa News, Reuters.
