LIBREVILLE, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- Dieudonne Aba'a Owono, president of Gabon's Constitutional Court, on Friday announced the final results of the constitutional referendum held on Nov. 16, confirming the victory of "Yes" with 91.64 percent of the votes, compared to 8.36 percent for "No."
The referendum saw the participation of 853,028 voters both within the country and abroad.
These results differ slightly from those announced by the Ministry of the Interior on Nov. 17.
The court stated that it had made some "material corrections." The percentage for "Yes" was adjusted from 91.80 percent to 91.64 percent while the percentage for "No" increased slightly from 8.20 percent to 8.36 percent.
The voter turnout rate, initially estimated by the Ministry of the Interior at 53.54 percent, has now been revised to 54.18 percent.
The court also confirmed that it received no legal challenges within the prescribed timeframe.
Following the announcement, the president of the transition can now promulgate the new constitution, which replaces the semi-parliamentary system with a presidential regime. The position of prime minister has been abolished, and replaced by a new role of the vice president of the government, responsible for coordinating governmental action.
The presidential term is set at seven years, renewable only once. No head of state can serve more than two terms in Gabon, regardless of any constitutional amendments. Additionally, descendants of the outgoing president are prohibited from running as candidates to prevent hereditary succession at the top of the state.
The adoption of the constitution marks one of the key stages of the transition, which is set to conclude with a presidential election scheduled for August 2025. ■
