Critics Quiet As Gabon To Vote On Junta-backed Constitution

Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published November 14, 2024 | 12:20 PM

Lambaréné, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Nov, 2024) Two days ahead of a referendum on a new constitution, Gabon's cities are adorned with signs urging citizens to vote "yes" while opponents of the junta-drafted law struggle to make themselves heard.

The vote is a key step toward the return of civilian rule promised by the military after its August 2023 coup ended 55 years of rule by ousted president Ali Bongo Ondimba's family.

Strongman General Brice Oligui Nguema promised to hand the reins of the oil-rich central African country back to civilians after a two-year transition period.

But he has made no secret of his desire to win the presidential election scheduled for August 2025, which under the proposed constitution would grant him power for a seven-year term.

On the day after the coup's first anniversary, billboards urging voters to approve the new basic law sprung up everywhere.

And since the campaign's official launch a few days ago, T-shirts and caps bearing the legend "vote yes for the future of Gabon" have been handed out.