Gabon votes in post-coup constitutional referendum

NEWS WIRES

15 November 2024 at 10:31 pm·1-min read

Officials load empty ballot boxes into military trucks for distribution to polling stations in Libreville, Gabon, November 16, 2024.

More than a year after Gabon's ruler Ali Bongo was toppled in a military coup, Gabon's citizens are voting Saturday in a constitutional referendum hailed as a "major turning point" by the junta. The new constitution would require presidential candidates to be exclusively Gabonese and have a Gabonese spouse, eliminating Bongo's ability to return to power.

Gabon extended a night curfew Saturday 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 oil-rich 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 key factor.

Broadcaster Gabon TV, in a special programme in the election, said the official turnout figure issued by the interior ministry was 71 percent, with the "yes" vote comfortably ahead.

There had been no serious incidents during voting, it added.

Voting began late at several polling stations in the capital Libreville with papers still being handed out when the polls opened at 7:00 am (0600 GMT). The 2,835 polling stations nationwide stayed open until 6:00 pm.

Louembe Tchizinga, a 45-year-old taxi driver casting his ballot, echoed her.

(AFP)

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