The deadline for submitting candidacies for Gabon's presidential election, scheduled for April 12, will end on March 8.
The period for filing candidacies was determined during the last Council of Ministers meeting held on February 14.
To be eligible for this election, a candidate must be between 35 and 70 years old, hold Gabonese nationality, have renounced any other nationality at least three years before the election, have resided continuously in the country for at least three years before the election, and speak at least one of the local languages. Additionally, candidates must submit an electoral deposit of 30 million CFA francs.
Candidates submitting their applications between February 27 and March 8 at the Ministry of the Interior must undergo a language test, a medical examination to assess their physical and mental fitness, and, most importantly, meet the eligibility criteria set by the new Constitution, adopted by referendum last November.
The electoral campaign is set to begin on March 29. The decree establishing the presidential election does not specify a date for the second round, which is mandated by the Constitution in the event of a runoff.
The Minister of the Interior and Security, Hermann Immongault, has announced the list of nine members who will form the Electoral and Referendum Control Authority (ACER).
The presidential election will mark the end of the transition period and the return to normal constitutional order in the country.
