Gabon's Constitutional Court confirms results of constitutional referendum

Libreville, Nov 30 (IANS) Dieudonne Aba'a Owono, President of Gabon's Constitutional Court, announced the final results of the constitutional referendum held on November 16, confirming the victory of "Yes" with 91.64 per cent of the votes, compared to 8.36 per cent for "No."

The referendum on Friday saw the participation of 853,028 voters both within the country and abroad.

These results differ slightly from those announced by the Ministry of the Interior on November 17, reports Xinhua news agency.

The court stated that it had made some "material corrections." The percentage for "Yes" was adjusted from 91.80 per cent to 91.64 per cent, while the percentage for "No" increased slightly from 8.20 per cent to 8.36 per cent.

The voter turnout rate, initially estimated by the Ministry of the Interior at 53.54 per cent, has now been revised to 54.18 per cent.

The court also confirmed that it received no legal challenges within the prescribed timeframe.

Following the announcement, the president of the transition can now promulgate the new constitution, which replaces the semi-parliamentary system with a presidential regime. The position of prime minister has been abolished and replaced by a new role of the vice president of the government, responsible for coordinating governmental action.

The presidential term is set at seven years, renewable only once. No head of state can serve more than two terms in Gabon, regardless of any constitutional amendments. Additionally, descendants of the outgoing president are prohibited from running as candidates to prevent hereditary succession at the top of the state.

The adoption of the constitution marks one of the key stages of the transition, which is set to conclude with a presidential election scheduled for August 2025.

--IANS

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