President Ali Bongo

President Ali Bongo

 

All political terms in office in Gabon will now last five years, President Ali Bongo announced on Monday.

Until now, presidents officially served seven-year terms and senators served six-year terms.

But Mr Bongo, who has led the country since his father’s death in 2009, has not made any statements regarding a new limit on the number of terms a president can serve.

As things stand presidents, MPs and senators can run for office as many times as they like, RFI explains.

President Bongo’s announcement came during talks between the government and opposition, which were called to discuss election matters ahead of polls expected later this year.

Editorial Chief, Nigerian Bureau

Kings UBA is a Nigerian journalist and writer. I have reported for major local and international news organisations. I write satire. In 2017, I started contributing stories primarily to Discover Africa News Network. I can be reached on editorkingsuba@gmail.com. I currently manage Discover Africa News social media handles