Gabon’s parliamentarians have less than a week to submit proposed amendments to the country’s future constitution ahead of the September 22 deadline. A draft of the document was delivered to transitional president General Brice Oligui Nguema earlier this month, following last year’s military ousting of President Ali Bongo, who had ruled for over 50 years.
Civil society groups have proposed key amendments, including reducing the presidential term from seven to five years and relaxing what they describe as “discriminatory rules” for presidential candidates. They are also concerned about a provision allowing the head of state to dissolve the National Assembly and have called for the abolition of the vice presidency, along with clearer criteria for removing a president.
Presidential candidate Daniel Mengara has openly rejected the draft, criticizing its “hyper-presidentialism” and advocating for a return to a parliamentary system to balance power. He has applied for official recognition of his party, the Congress of Free Citizens.
While discussions on the draft constitution continue, the ruling military will have the final decision, with a referendum expected by the end of the year.