The chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, has congratulated the military-led government of Gabon on a successful constitutional referendum. General Brice Oligui Nguema came to power through a coup d’etat in 2023.
The new constitution is expected to provide the basis for the conduct of elections that will replace the military government with an elected one in 2025.
Faki’s statement was notable for its omission. Under existing African Union frameworks on unconstitutional changes of government, coup leaders are not allowed to run in the elections marking the formal end of governments installed by coups. This is so as not to reward coup leaders. It’s also to ensure that the military leaders are impartial enablers of democratic competition, rather than active participants.
