With the campaign dominated by official propaganda by the junta that took power in August last year in a coup, local media say voter turnout will be a crucial factor…reports Asian Lite News
Gabon extended a night curfew as it held a referendum on a new constitution the ruling junta says will mark a new chapter after 55 years of dynastic rule in the African nation.
The estimated 860,000 registered voters have faced an onslaught of calls by authorities on TV, radio, and social media to make their ballot count — whether they choose a green one, meaning “yes,” or a red one for “no.”
With the campaign dominated by official propaganda by the junta that took power in August last year in a coup, local media say voter turnout will be a crucial factor. Voting began late at several polling stations in the capital, Libreville, with papers still being handed out when the polls opened at 7 a.m. (0600 GMT).
The 2,835 polling stations nationwide are due to remain open until 6 p.m. The junta on Saturday extended a night curfew by two hours, bringing it forward to midnight “during the whole electoral process,” according to a decree read on state television.
It did not specify when the extended curfew ending at 5 a.m. would remain. The proposed constitution sets out a vision of a presidency with a maximum of two seven-year terms, no prime minister, and no dynastic transfer of power.
It would also require presidential candidates to be exclusively Gabonese — with at least one Gabon-born parent — and have a Gabonese spouse. This would eliminate toppled ruler Ali Bongo Ondimba, married to a Frenchwoman, and his children.
His replacement, transitional President Brice Oligui Nguema, declared the referendum a “great step forward” as he cast his vote at a Libreville school. “All Gabonese are coming to vote in a transparent fashion,” the junta chief told the press, having ditched his general’s uniform for a brown civilian jacket over light-wash jeans.
Oligui has vowed to hand power back to civilians after a two-year transition but has made no secret of his desire to win the presidential election scheduled for August 2025. Billboards adorned with an image of the general and urging a “yes” vote are everywhere, the Union newspaper commented on Friday, prompting it to ask: “Referendum or presidential campaign?“
Queues of dozens of voters formed in front of the classrooms housing the polling stations at the Lycee Leon M’Ba in Libreville, under the watchful eye of the soldiers charged with ensuring the ballot’s security. Nathalie Badzoko, a 33-year-old civil servant, said she voted “yes” and had faith in the junta but admitted she had “not read the whole text” and its 173 articles. Louembe Tchizinga, a 45-year-old taxi driver casting his ballot, echoed her.
Opponents of the proposed text dismiss it as tailor-made for the strongman to remain in power. “We are creating a dictator who designs the constitution for himself,” lawyer Marlene Fabienne Essola Efountame said. Bongo ruled for 14 years until he was overthrown moments after being proclaimed the winner in a presidential election, which the army and opposition declared fraudulent.
He took office on the death of his father, Omar, who had ruled with an iron fist for more than 41 years. The opposition and the military coup leaders accused Ali Bongo’s regime of widespread corruption, bad governance, and embezzlement.
The Interior Ministry says it has done all it can to ensure Saturday’s referendum is transparent, including by inviting international observers — who were not present in the August 2023 presidential election.
“We trust them, and this is a test,” said Mathurin Bengone, a 45-year-old civil servant at the Ministry of Health. “If our vote isn’t respected, we won’t vote again.”
The ministry said provisional results will be released as soon as possible, with the final ones announced by the constitutional court. Polls on the outcome have not been released.
However, nearly 87 percent of those asked said they think the country is “heading in the right direction,” according to an Afrobarometer survey among 1,200 respondents published mid-October. The survey also suggested that unemployment topped the list of concerns, followed by health, roads, insecurity, and a rising cost of living. More than 46 percent have “great confidence” in Oligui, who would be the favorite if a presidential election were to take place now.
The draft constitution imposes a seven-year term, renewable only once, instead of the current charter that allows for five year terms renewable without limit. It also says family members can not succeed a president and abolishes the position of prime minister. The draft needs more than 50% of the votes cast to be adopted.
If the vote yes wins, presidential polls are scheduled in August 2025. “I would like the Yes vote to win so that the long-awaited change in our nation can finally take place,” voter Koundji said.
Other voters have have expressed their concerns though. A provision giving the head of state the power to dissolve the National Assembly and a controversy over eligibility rules notably arose. The final draft of the new Constitution project was made public less than a month ago. Brice Oligui Nguema will be allowed to stand for president.
Bongo, had served two terms since coming to power in 2009 after the death of his father, who ruled the country for 41 years. His rule was marked by widespread discontent with his reign. A coup attempt in 2019 failed.
The draft constitution imposes a seven-year term, renewable only once, instead of the current charter that allows for five-year terms renewable without limit. It also says family members cannot succeed a president and abolishes the position of prime minister.
The former French colony is a member of OPEC but its oil wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few — and nearly 40% of Gabonese aged 15 to 24 were out of work in 2020, according to the World Bank. Its oil export revenue was $6 billion in 2022, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The polls will close at 6 p.m. on Saturday. There is no legal deadline for when results should be announced.
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