Gabon on Saturday is holding a referendum on whether the oil-rich West African nation should adopt a new constitution — a key step toward the return to civilian rule, where the country is run by elected officials rather than military leaders.

Soldiers seized control of Gabon in an August 2023 coup, ending 56 years of the so-called Bongo dynasty, during which control of the presidency passed from one member of the Bongo family to another.

Former Gabonese President Ali Bongo had been set to extend his presidential tenure into a third term when the putsch occurred.

The Bongo family first took the reins of power when Bongo's father, Omar, became president in 1967. Ali took control in 2009 after the death of Omar, who ruled Gabon for 41 years.

The draft constitution proposed by the ruling junta sets out a vision of a strong presidency that imposes a seven-year term, renewable once, with no prime minister and no dynastic transfer of power — as happened under the Bongo family.

It would shift Gabon from a parliamentary system to a presidential one, allowing the president to appoint members of the judiciary and dissolve parliament.

Candidates for the head of state must have at least one Gabonese-born parent, hold no other nationality and be married to a Gabonese citizen.

These requirements emphasize "the distinction between native Gabonese and others, excluding naturalized Gabonese and dual nationals," as reported by the Gabon Review newspaper.

The draft also calls for a national holiday celebrating the downfall of the Bongo dynasty, according to media reports cited by news........

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