TIMELINE: Gabon constitutional referendum caps coup that ended Bongo dynasty

Record ID: 1856450

  • Title: TIMELINE: Gabon constitutional referendum caps coup that ended Bongo dynasty
  • Date: 4th September 2023
  • Summary: Military officers in oil-producing Gabon said they had seized power on Wednesday (August 30, 2023), after the Central African state's election body announced that President Ali Bongo had won a third term. Video from Port Gentil, south of the capital Libreville, showed people holding up the national flag and singing as a convoy of military vehicles drove past. PORT-GENTIL, GABON (FILE - AUGUST 30, 2023) (REUTERS) SOLDIERS IN BACK OF MILITARY PICKUP LIBREVILLE, GABON (FILE - AUGUST 30, 2023) (REUTERS) PEOPLE CHEERING AS MILITARY VEHICLES AND FIRE TENDER DRIVE BY PEOPLE WALKING DOWN STREET, CHANTING, CARRYING PALM BRANCHES AND GABON FLAGS PORT-GENTIL, GABON (FILE - AUGUST 30, 2023) (REUTERS) PEOPLE DRAPING GABON FLAG AROUND WAVING SOLDIER
  • Embargoed: 18th September 2023 02:19
  • Keywords: africa central change conflict coups diplomacy elections emerging foreign gabon government lawmakers markets military peace policy politics president voting war
  • Location: VARIOUS
  • City: VARIOUS
  • Country: Gabon
  • Topics: Africa,Conflicts/War/Peace
  • Reuters ID: LVA005896703092023RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Voters in Gabon will head to the polls on Saturday (November 16) to decide on a new constitution that would pave the way to democratic rule after a coup ousted the Bongo dynasty last year.
    The new constitution would introduce two-term limits on the presidency, remove the position of prime minister and recognize French as Gabon's working language. The presidential term would be set at seven years.
    General Brice Oligui Nguema, the interim president who seized power in a coup last year, is urging voters to agree to the new constitution, which he says embodies the junta's commitment to charting a new course for Gabon.
    Military officers toppled the government in August last year. The ousted president, Ali Bongo, had ruled since 2009. His father, Omar, had ruled since 1967.
    It was the eighth coup in West and Central Africa since 2020. Western powers and regional bodies have pressured military rulers to hold elections within reasonable timeframes.
    (Production: Cooper Inveen)
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