Gabon's Constitutional Court has approved the final results of the national referendum on the country's new constitution, the court's president, Dieudonné Aba'a Owono, announced.
"91.64% of the electorate voted in favor of the draft constitution, against 8.36% [...] The turnout was 54.18%," Owono said, as quoted by local media, noting that the court had received no appeals to annul the vote.
The certified results of the November 16 referendum differ by one-tenth of a percentage point from the preliminary results announced nearly two weeks ago by Gabon's Minister of the Interior and Security, Hermann Immongault. The current decision of the Constitutional Court cannot be appealed.
The new constitution strengthens the powers of the presidency while reducing the powers of other state institutions. It establishes a seven-year presidential term with the right to one re-election.
The office of prime minister is abolished and its duties assigned to the vice president. Military service becomes compulsory. Same-sex marriage is prohibited. French is recognized as a working language.
Article 172 of the new Constitution provides that the Basic Law will enter into force in Gabon after the election of the next President of the Republic, which is scheduled to take place in August 2025.