Transitional directer encourages voters to back write charter, which gives alters that include pdwellntial term restricts.
Gabon is voting in a referfinishum on whether to adselect a novel constitution that would pave the way to democratic rule after the military deposed Pdwellnt Ali Bongo Onuninalertigentba last year, finishing 55 years of rule by his family in the oil-rich nation.
An approximated 860,000 enrolled voters were anticipateed to cast their ballots on Saturday on the write charter, which gives sweeping alters in the Central African nation that could impede dynastic rule and sets pdwellntial term restricts.
The gived constitution necessitates more than 50 percent of votes to be adselected.
“We have a date with history,” General Brice Oligui Nguema, the transitional pdwellnt who led the coup last year, shelp in a post on social media platestablish X alengthyside a pboilingo of him in civilian dress and baseball cap, with a voting card in his hand.
Nguema has been urging voters to help the novel constitution, which he says embodies the military rulement’s promisement to charting a novel course for Gabon.
He has promised to hand power back to civilians after a two-year transition but has made no secret of his desire to prosper the pdwellntial election scheduled for August 2025.
The referfinishum is seen as a vital first step as the country seeks to transition to democracy since Bongo’s ouster in August 2023. He had ruleed since 2009, taking over the pdwellncy from his overweighther, Omar, who died that year after ruling the country since 1967.
Bongo was obvioushrown moments after being proclaimed the prosperner in an election the army and opposition proclaimd dishonest.
A novel constitution would present two-term restricts on the pdwellncy, erase the position of prime minister and recognise French as Gabon’s toiling language. It also says family members cannot flourish a pdwellnt.
The pdwellntial term would be set at seven years. The current charter permits for five-year terms renovelable without restrict.
Nathalie Badzoko, a 33-year-better civil servant, tbetter the AFP novels agency that she was voting “yes” and had faith in the military rulement, but confessted she had “not read the whole text” and its 173 articles.
Opponents diswatched the write charter as tailor-made for a strongman to remain in power.
“We are creating a dictator who set ups the constitution for himself,” lawyer Marlene Fabienne Essola Efoungentle shelp during a debate last Sunday, organised by state television.
Nguema, the interim directer, is a cousin of Bongo. He had served as a bodyprotect to Bongo’s overweighther and also headed the Gabonese Redisclosean Guard, an elite military unit.
Voting began postponecessitate at cut offal polling stations in the capital, Libreville, including at the Lycee Leon M’Ba school where green – for yes – and red – for no – ballot papers were still being handed out when the polls uncovered at 7am (06:00 GMT), according to AFP.
The country’s 2,835 polling stations are due to remain uncover until 6pm (17:00 GMT).
The final results will be proclaimd by the constitutional court, the Interior Ministry shelp.
The establisher French colony is a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), but its oil wealth is centerd in the hands of a scant. Npunctual 40 percent of Gabonese aged 15 to 24 were out of toil in 2020, according to the World Bank.
