November 16, 2024 will remain a historic date in Gabon. And for good reason, it was on that Saturday that Gabonese of voting age were called to the polls to vote on the draft new Basic Law. That which should govern the country after the Transition initiated the day after the military coup, considered by some as a “liberation coup”, on August 30, 2023.
It should be noted that this election also marked the return of the Ministry of the Interior to the exclusive organization of political elections in our country. A recommendation from the Inclusive National Dialogue (DNI) held in April 2024… Generally speaking, we can note that two camps clashed: that of “Yes”, advocating a vote in favor of the constitutional text proposed by the CTRI; and that of “No” calling for the rejection of the said text.
The first was led by a National Coordination led by the head of government, Raymond Ndong Sima. The second, rather composed of personalities evolving in a scattered manner, included, among others, Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze, Pierre-Claver Manganga Moussavou, Professor Albert Ondo Ossa, Jean-Remy Yama, Valentin Leyama, Marcel Libama, etc.
We will note from the proclamation of the final results by the Constitutional Court of the Transition, on November 29, that out of 853,028 registered, there were 462,166 voters and 416,382 votes cast. The “Yes” obtained 91.64% against 8.36% for the “No”, with a participation rate estimated at 54.18%.
These official results were contested by several “No” supporters who denounced some irregularities. Even if no appeal against it has been registered at the registry of the High Constitutional Court.
All of which paved the way for the continuation of the legal process characterized by the promulgation, by presidential decree, of the new Constitution of Gabon.