{"id":17634,"date":"2024-11-18T13:57:52","date_gmt":"2024-11-18T13:57:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/?p=17634"},"modified":"2024-11-18T13:57:52","modified_gmt":"2024-11-18T13:57:52","slug":"gabon-approves-law-allowing-junta-leader-to-contest-elections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/?p=17634","title":{"rendered":"Gabon approves law allowing junta leader to contest elections"},"content":{"rendered":"
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An overwhelming majority of Gabonese people have voted for a new constitution, military authorities say, in a move that marks a new phase for the country following last year’s coup.<\/p>\n

Provisional results showed 92% of voters backed the new constitution, according to the country’s electoral body. <\/p>\n

The outcome sets the stage for a transition to civilian rule, although critics say it is designed to allow coup leader Brice Oligui Nguema to remain in power.<\/p>\n

Nguema is yet to openly say whether he will run in the election.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Voter turnout was estimated at 54%, according to the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions (CTRI). There were no serious incidents reported during Saturday’s vote.<\/p>\n

The final results will be announced by the Constitutional Court.<\/p>\n

As he voted, the military leader hailed the referendum as a \u201cgreat step forward\u201d, adding that Gabonese were \u201ccoming to vote in a transparent fashion\u201d.<\/p>\n

Prior to the vote, the transitional authorities described it as a crucial step towards the return to constitutional order in the oil-rich country.<\/p>\n

The referendum paves the way for the holding of elections tentatively scheduled for August next year – two years after Nguema took power to topple President Ali Bongo Odimba, whose family had ruled the country for decades.<\/p>\n

The draft constitution establishes a seven-year term, renewable once, replacing a five year-term that had no limits and which allowed for dynastic rule.<\/p>\n

It also bars members of a president\u2019s family from running for the country\u2019s top job and also requires candidates to be exclusively Gabonese and have a Gabonese spouse.<\/p>\n

This effectively bars the deposed leader, who is married to a French woman.<\/p>\n

It is being seen as an attempt to end the family succession phenomenon engineered by the Bongo family, which maintained a 55-year dynasty.<\/p>\n

Bongo had ruled for 14 years before he was toppled. He took office after the death of his father who had been president for 41 years.<\/p>\n

The new law removes the prime minister\u2019s position and introduces two vice-president roles.<\/p>\n

While some have hailed the draft law, others have warned it could concentrate too much power in the presidency.<\/p>\n

Despite Gabon\u2019s oil wealth and vast forests, one third of its 2.4 million people live below the poverty line, according to the UN.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

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Source: <\/em> www.bbc.com\u2026<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An overwhelming majority of Gabonese people have voted for a new constitution, military authorities say, in a move that marks a new phase for the country following last year’s coup. Provisional results showed 92% of voters backed the new constitution, according to the country’s electoral body. The outcome sets the stage for a transition to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17634"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17634\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}