Gabon: new Constitution approved by referendum

Gabonese voters have approved a constitutional referendum that will pave the way for a return to elections and democratic order, according to provisional results announced Sunday by the country’s interior minister.

Over 91% were in favor of the new text, while 8.2% answered no, Hermann Immongault said.

The turnout was 53.5% of the 860,000 eligible voters.

The results will be validated by the Constitutional Court in the coming days.

Saturday’s vote was held to decide on a new draft constitution, presented as a crucial step towards the next presidential election.

The draft constitution abolishes the post of prime minister and provides for a seven-year presidential term, renewable once.

The referendum took place more than a year after a group of senior Gabonese army officers deposed President Ali Bongo in August 2023.

Following the coup, General 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.

The draft constitution gives the presidency greater powers to appoint members of the judiciary and dissolve parliament, but prohibits succession to members of the president’s family.

Potential presidential candidates must have at least one Gabonese-born parent and hold no other nationality.

Following Bongo’s ouster, the military dissolved the country’s institutions, formed a transitional parliament and promised a two-year transition period.

Elections are scheduled for August 2025, and Nguema is expected to stand.