Gabon/Election: reduced Presidential term from 7 to 5 years

The parliament of Gabon voted to reduce the president’s term from seven to five years, just five months before the elections. The vote also changes the presidential election from two rounds to a single round.

Some opposition groups criticized the changes, claiming they make it easier for the current president, Ali Bongo Ondimba, to be re-elected. However, the proposal was backed by 85% of votes in the joint session of the national assembly and senate in the capital, Libreville.

The changes were the result of political discussions between the majority and opposition leaders in February.

Ondimba has been the leader of Gabon, a country rich in oil, for 41 years and is likely to run for re-election. He won a narrow victory in the 2016 election, with just 5,500 more votes than his rival, Jean Ping, who claimed the election was rigged.

In 2018, Ondimba had a stroke and was out of office for several months to recover, which caused some opposition members to question his ability to govern the country.

The Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG), led by Ondimba, holds a significant majority in both houses of parliament, and they are urging the president to announce his candidacy for re-election. The Bongo family has been in power in Gabon for 55 years, and the opposition considers them a « dynastic power ».

The opposition has been unable to reach a consensus on a single candidate for the upcoming presidential election. As a result, around 15 candidates have declared their intention to run for the presidency.