Gabon's transitional head of state, General Brice Oligui Nguema, has announced the convening of parliament to amend the transitional charter, the media reported.
According to the outlet's sources, it is expected to make adjustments to chapter 35 of the charter and allow the president to serve simultaneously as minister of defense and minister of the interior.
On August 30, 2023, a group of high-ranking Gabonese military officers announced on national television that they had seized power. They overturned the results of the August 26 presidential election, which was won by three-term incumbent President Bongo Ondimba. A meeting of generals later appointed Oligui Nguema as head of state for a transitional period.
Raymond Ndong Sima, appointed by the military as head of the transitional government, said the transition could take one to two years.
The charter outlines the objectives of the transition period, which include rebuilding the government, creating new strong institutions, protecting territorial integrity, undertaking major political, economic and administrative reforms, strengthening the independence of the judiciary, protecting human rights, establishing a system of good governance, drafting a new constitution and adopting it by referendum, and organizing free, democratic and transparent elections.
The Charter identified the Transitional President, whose title was later changed to simply "President," the Transitional Government, the Parliament, and the Constitutional Court as the transitional institutions of power.