- Gabon’s referendum has extended the presidential term to seven years with a two-term limit from the previous five years.
- The referendum represents a crucial first step as the nation seeks a return to civilian rule since Ali Bongo’s ouster in August 2023.
- Gabon’s Interior Minister Hermann Immongault has said that 92 per cent of voters backed the proposed constitution.
Gabon’s Referendum Extends Presidential Term Limit
Voters in Gabon have agreed to extend the country’s presidential term limit to seven years from five years in a referendum on a new constitution. The referendum represents a crucial first step as the nation seeks a return to civilian rule since Ali Bongo’s ouster in August 2023. Bongo had governed Gabon since 2009, taking over the presidency from his father, Omar Bongo, who died after ruling the country for over 55 years.
The referendum also clears the path for military leader Brice Oligui Nguema, who led the coup last year, to run in the oil-rich nation’s next presidential elections, slated for August 2025. Nguema, 49, ousted former President Ali Bongo in August last year, shortly after Bongo was declared winner in a presidential vote that would have extended his family’s 55-year rule. The military and the opposition termed the vote as fraudulent.
Nguema promised to hand back power to civilians after a two-year transition but made his desire to win the presidential election no secret. Moreover, he has urged voters to support the new constitution, which embodies the military government’s commitment to charting a new course for the Central African Nation.
Opponents dismissed the proposed charter as tailor-made for a strongman to remain in power. “We are creating a dictator who designs the constitution for himself,” lawyer Marlene Fabienne Essola Efountame said during a debate last Sunday, organised by state television.
Nguema, the interim leader, is Bongo’s cousin. He had served as Bongo’s father’s bodyguard and headed the Gabonese Republican Guard, an elite military unit.
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Average Voter Turnout
Gabon’s Interior Minister Hermann Immongault has said that 92 per cent of voters backed the proposed constitution. The bill, which proposes sweeping changes to prevent dynastic rule and set presidential term limits, needed 50 per cent backing to sail through. According to Immongault, the voter turnout was 54 per cent of an estimated 860,000 registered voters.
“Once adopted, the new constitution should pave the way for the electoral process to continue, leading to a return to constitutional order,” Willy Giscard Ontsia, chief of staff of the Ministry of Justice, said by phone. “Elections should take place from August 2025, however, this timetable may be modified if necessary.”
The new law replaces the position of the prime minister with that of the vice president while setting a seven-year presidential term with one possible renewal. Presidential Candidates should not be older than 70, while both parents of a presidential contender should hold Gabonese nationality. It also recognises French as Gabon’s working language. It also says that family members cannot succeed as presidents.
Gabon, a former French colony, is a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). However, its oil wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few. According to the World Bank, close to 40 per cent of Gabonese aged 15 to 24 were out of work in 2020.
