Military-ruled Gabon votes on constitution

The African state’s interim leader has touted the landslide approval as a “historic” step toward restoring democracy

Gabonese voters have approved a new constitution that will pave the way for returning the Central African nation to civilian rule, more than a year after soldiers toppled longtime leader Ali Bongo.

The government says 91.80% of the voters said “YES” to endorse the proposed constitution, which reportedly introduces a two-term limit on the presidency in a country that had been ruled by the same family for nearly six decades.

While the current constitution allows for unlimited five-year terms, the proposed one introduces a seven-year term that can only be renewed once and, according to the Associated Press, prohibits family members from succeeding a president. Reuters also said it abolishes the position of prime minister and recognizes French as Gabon’s working language. More than 8% of Gabonese voted “No” in the referendum held on Saturday.

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Gabonese Interior Minister Hermann Immongault announced the provisional results on Sunday in a statement read on state television, saying turnout was around 53.5%. The Constitutional Court will announce the final outcome, the minister added.

A group of Gabonese soldiers overthrew Ali Bongo shortly after he had been declared the winner of the disputed presidential election in the former French colony in August of last year. The coup leaders placed Bongo under house arrest in the capital, Libreville, on charges of corruption and irresponsible governance. The ousted leader had been in power for 14 years after succeeding his father, Omar Bongo Ondimba, who ruled for more than four decades before his death in 2009.

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General Brice Oligui Nguema, who led the military coup and is currently Gabon’s transitional leader, has pledged to oversee “free, fair, and credible” elections in August 2025 to hand over power to civilians.

On Monday, General Nguema hailed the landslide approval of the constitution as a “victory for democracy” in the oil-rich African state and a “historic step toward the restoration of its institutions.”

Although the interim leader, a cousin of the ousted president, has not announced his intention to run for office, Reuters claims that the new draft law does not bar him from doing so, contradicting previous reports that transitional government members were ineligible to contest.