Interior minister says Gabon has approved a new constitution

Gabon’s military rulers said the new constitution has been overwhelmingly approved in a referendum, according to provisional results published on Sunday.

Speaking on state television, the interior minister said  91.8 per cent of voters had said “yes” to the charter, with a turnout estimated at 53.5 per cent.

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 large welcomed by the Gabonese, military officers seized power in a coup in August last year ousting President Ali Bongo.

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 recognises French as Gabon's working language.

It also requires presidential candidates to be exclusively Gabonese, with at least one Gabon-born parent, and have a Gabonese spouse.

The draft, however, does not bar Nguema from running for the presidency, raising concerns for some commentators about the junta's ambitions.

The final tally will be announced by the Constitutional Court.