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Gabon votes on a new constitution 

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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Gabon asks Ivory Coast for help to lift AU sanctions

Gabon was suspended from the African Union on August 31 after Nguema overthrew president Ali Bongo, whose family had been in power for 55 years…reports Asian Lite News

Gabon’s transitional president on Thursday asked his Ivory Coast counterpart for help in getting African Union sanctions lifted, during a meeting in Abidjan.

General Brice Oligui Nguema, who came to power in a coup last August, met Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara during a visit to the country for “work and friendship” from Thursday to Saturday.

“I am asking for the support of my elder here to plead in favor of lifting of the African Union sanctions against Gabon, and I know I can count on you,” the general said, addressing the Ivorian president.

Gabon was suspended from the African Union on August 31 after Nguema overthrew president Ali Bongo, whose family had been in power for 55 years.

He pledged to hand back the oil-rich central African country to civilian rule after a two-year transitional period.

The Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), which had also suspended Gabon over the coup, reinstated it in March.

Thursday’s meeting came after Gabon earlier this month launched a national dialogue intended to pave the way for elections in 2025.

In a joint statement to the press, the general said that he had given Ouattara an “update and report” on the “progress of the current dialogue in Libreville.”

He also thanked Ouattara for his “involvement” and “constant willingness to support and accompany the transition process on Gabonese soil.”

For his part, Ouattara told reporters that the meeting led to “fruitful exchanges.”

Ouattara praised Nguema for “the efforts you are making to return to constitutional normality” and for convening an “inclusive national dialogue.”

Gabon’s transitional president also plans to hold talks with the Gabonese diaspora during his visit.

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Gabon reopens borders after coup

The coup – the eighth in west and central Africa in three years – has raised concerns about the further spread military takeovers across the region…reports Asian Lite News

Gabon has reopened its borders, an army spokesperson said, three days after closing them during a military coup in which the president, Ali Bongo, was ousted.

Military officers led by General Brice Oligui Nguema seized power on Wednesday, placed Bongo under house arrest and installed Nguema as head of state, ending the Bongo family’s 56-year hold on power.

The coup – the eighth in west and central Africa in three years – has raised concerns about the further spread military takeovers across the region, which have erased democratic progress made in the past two decades.

The leaders of the coup in Gabon have come under international pressure to restore civilian government but they said last night that they would not rush to hold elections.

An army spokesman said on national television that the country’s land, sea and air borders were reopened because the junta was “concerned with preserving respect for the rule of law, good relations with our neighbours and all states of the world” and wanted to keep its “international commitments”.

Bongo was elected in 2009, taking over from his late father, Omar, who came to power in 1967. Opponents say the family did little to share Gabon’s oil and mining wealth.

The takeover in Gabon follows coups in Guinea, Chad and Niger, plus two each in Mali and Burkina Faso since 2020, worrying international powers with strategic interests at stake.

‘No rush to elections and same mistakes’

The leader of a coup that overthrew Gabon’s President Ali Bongo says he wants to avoid rushing into elections that “repeat past mistakes” as pressure mounts to hand back power to a civilian government.

A spokesman for Gabon’s military rulers also said on state TV they “decided with immediate effect to reopen the land, sea and air borders as of this Saturday”.

Military officers led by General Brice Oligui Nguema seized power on Wednesday minutes after an announcement that Bongo had secured a third term in an election.

The officers placed Bongo under house arrest and installed Nguema as head of state, ending the Bongo family’s 56-year hold on power.

The coup – West and Central Africa’s eighth in three years – drew cheering crowds onto the streets of the capital, Libreville, but condemnation from abroad and at home.

“Our aim is to move as quickly as possible, quickly but surely. Moving as quickly as possible doesn’t mean organising elections in a rush where we’ll end up with the same mistakes, where the same people will continue in power, and it all comes back to the same thing,” Nguema said in a televised address on Friday night.

Regional bloc, the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), has urged partners led by the United Nations and the African Union to support a rapid return to constitutional order, it said in a statement after an extraordinary meeting on Thursday. It said it would reconvene on Monday.

Gabon’s main opposition group, Alternance 2023, which says it is the rightful winner of the election, urged the international community on Friday to encourage the generals to hand power back to civilians.

Bongo was elected in 2009, taking over from his late father who came to power in 1967. Opponents say the family did little to share Gabon’s oil and mining wealth.

For years the Bongo family occupied a luxurious palace overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. They own expensive cars and properties in France and the United States, often paid for in cash, according to a 2020 investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, a global network of investigative journalists.

Meanwhile, almost one-third of the country’s 2.3 million people live in poverty.

Military leaders ordered the arrest of one of Bongo’s sons, Noureddin Bongo Valentin, and several members of Bongo’s cabinet on accusations ranging from alleged embezzlement to narcotics trafficking.

State broadcaster Gabon 24 said on Thursday that duffel bags stuffed with cash wrapped in plastic had been confiscated from the homes of various officials. Its footage included a raid on the house of former cabinet director Ian Ghislain Ngoulou.

Standing next to Bongo Valentin, he told the channel the money was part of Bongo’s election fund. It was unclear when the images were shot.

Lawyers for Bongo’s wife Sylvia said on Friday that Bongo Valentin was being held in an undisclosed location, and the family is concerned about his safety.

“You need politicians to manage a transition and above all a state,” said retired Libreville resident Timothe Moutsinga. “We expect a lot from this government and this transition, a transfer of power to civilians.”

The takeover in Gabon follows coups in Guinea, Chad and Niger, plus two each in Mali and Burkina Faso since 2020. The takeovers have erased democratic gains in a region where insecurity and widespread poverty have weakened elected governments, worrying international powers with strategic interests at stake.

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India, Gabon discuss boosting defence, maritime ties

Earlier, in May 2022, former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu paid the first-ever high-level bilateral visit to Gabon…reports Asian Lite News

India and Gabon on Tuesday held their first Foreign Office Consultations in New Delhi, eschanging views on regional and international issues of mutual interest, including cooperation in the UN and other multilateral fora; climate change; International Solar Alliance (ISA) and sustainable development, according to the statement released by Ministry of External Affairs.

The Indian delegation was led by Sevala Naik Mude, Joint Secretary (Central & West Africa Division), Ministry of External Affairs while the Gabonese side was headed by Guy Gerard Nkolo, Ambassador, director general of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Gabon.

The two nations carried out a comprehensive review of the existing bilateral relations, including strengthening of cooperation in trade and economic relations, defense and maritime, science and technology, innovation, research and development, culture, and people-to-people ties, the statement read.

India and Gabon have traditionally enjoyed warm and friendly relations, which are based on shared democratic values and vision. The bilateral relationship has further strengthened in the past few years with the opening of the Gabonese Mission in New Delhi and the exchange of high-level visits, the statement added.

Earlier, in May 2022, former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu paid the first-ever high-level bilateral visit to Gabon.

During the talks, two MoUs were signed between India and Gabon for establishing a Joint Commission and diplomats’ training. The then VP expressed India’s readiness to work with Gabon to strengthen cooperation in various spheres at bilateral, regional, and multilateral levels.

In October, Gabonese Foreign Minister Michael Mousa Adamo visited India to participate in the special meeting of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee.

According to the MEA statement, bilateral trade between India and Gabon is growing at a healthy rate and has touched USD 1.12 billion in 2021-22 from USD 440 million in 2017-18, with India now being the 2nd largest destination for Gabonese exports.

Over 50 Indian companies have set up manufacturing units in the Gabon Special Economic Zone (GSEZ), as per the statement.

Both sides agreed to hold the next consultations in Libreville, Gabon at a mutually convenient date.

India and Gabon are currently serving as non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). (ANI)

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