Gabonese vote on new constitution at referendum

Voters in Libreville, Gabon's capital, participated in a referendum Saturday on a draft constitution proposed by the military government that assumed power after a coup in August 2023.

"I arrived as early as 6:30 a.m. to be among the first to vote," said Jean Nze, a man in his 50s, at the Damas 2 Public School polling station in the capital's 4th district.

The station opened at 8:15 a.m. local time (0715 GMT), and the process was orderly, with security ensured by police and military personnel.

The proposed constitution seeks to replace the current semi-parliamentary system with a presidential regime. If approved, the position of prime minister will be abolished, and the National Assembly will lose its power to censure the government. However, the president will have the authority to dissolve the National Assembly once during his term.

The proposed constitution extends the presidential term to seven years, renewable only once, up from five years with unlimited renewals. Presidential candidates must be born to at least one Gabonese parent, married to a Gabonese citizen, and be between 35 and 70 years old.

A total of 848,313 voters are registered for the referendum. Polling stations will close at 6:00 p.m. (1700 GMT) with vote counting starting immediately afterward. There is no legal deadline for the announcement of results.

Related World News

Israel kills 76 more Gazans as death toll passes 43,900

At least 76 more Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, bringing the overall death toll since last year to 43,922, the Health Ministry in the enclave said on Monday. According to reports, 103,898 others were injured in the ongoing assault. Israel has continued a genocid....

XI and Biden discuss bilateral, regional, and global issues

LIMA: President Joseph R. Biden Jr. met with President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in Lima, Peru today. This meeting is the third between the two Presidents and follows their April 2, 2024, telephone call. The two leaders had a candid, constructive disc....

4 killed, 3 injured in road crash in Philippine capital

Four people were killed and three others injured after a 16-wheeler truck hit motorcycles in the Philippine capital region on early Sunday, local authorities said. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said the accident occurred at 4:39 a.m. local time in Pasig City, Metro Manila....

At least 96 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes on northern, central Gaza

At least 96 Palestinians were killed and 60 others injured in Israeli airstrikes in the northern and central Gaza Strip on Sunday, according to Anadolu reports. The reports said that Israeli warplanes targeted several residential buildings and homes in the northern town of Beit Lahia and the r....

Thousands of people evacuated as Typhoon Man-yi hits Philippines

Hundreds of thousands of people in coastal villages and flood-prone areas have been evacuated to safety in the Philippines as the archipelago country braces itself for super typhoon Man-yi. Man-yi, swirling with maximum winds of 195 km per hour and gusts of up to 240 km per hour, has mad....