Gabon: Article 53, Ivorianness with an Oligui twist?

Alain Claude Bilie-By-Nze is sounding the alarm: Gabon, in the midst of a transition after the 2023 coup, is about to miss a historic turning point. General Oligui Nguema , interim president, is expected to deliver on promises of constitutional and democratic reforms. But as the clock ticks, the uncertainty remains.

The draft constitution of the transition led by Brice Oligui Nguema could well be the new Gabonese version of Ivorianness. Article 53, criticized for its ultra-restrictive criteria, excludes nearly 94% of Gabonese from the presidency.

The resurgence of a dangerous model

This provision is disturbingly reminiscent of the policy of Ivoirité, which excluded Alassane Ouattara from the 2000 Ivorian presidential election on the pretext that he was not an "Ivorian by origin". In the Gabonese case, Article 53 seems designed to drastically limit access to the highest office to a small elite, at the risk of dividing the nation on similar grounds to those that fractured Côte d'Ivoire.

National criteria, particularly that concerning the nationality of parents, are particularly singled out. Many fear that this will revive feelings of exclusion among citizens of mixed origin or with naturalized parents, much like Ivoirité has sidelined entire sections of the Ivorian population. In addition, the requirement of continuous residence in Gabon, in a context of a large diaspora, further limits the possibilities for external talents to contribute to national governance.

The spectre of new exclusion

The burning question on everyone’s lips is whether Oligui is aware of the time bomb he could create with this exclusive version of the Constitution . The Gabonese people, looking for a new post-Bongo political dynamic, risk seeing their hopes dashed if the current elite imposes a law that marginalizes the majority.

The age restriction, which eliminates septuagenarians sometimes seen as reservoirs of wisdom and experience, is not the only problem. Health, a subjective criterion in the hands of a medical college, also leaves doubts about the transparency of the process. And the criteria related to marriage are quite astonishing. All this echoes a form of arbitrariness or manipulation that could well be the poison of the new Gabonese Republic.

A missed date with history?

Oligui, supposed to be the man of renewal, is facing a challenge: to prove that this transition will not be reduced to a disguised exclusion of the country's vital forces. The Gabonese people may not have the patience to live an "Ivorianness", especially since History has shown how this kind of regressive policy can lead to internal conflicts.

The Ivorian spectre is well and truly present. And if Oligui persists in defending an article 53 that cuts the grass under the feet of the majority of Gabonese, he could join the list of those who, despite their promises, will have missed their "appointment with history".