Gabon holds a referendum Saturday on a new constitution that the junta calls a "major turning point" after a coup that brought the curtain down on 55 years of rule by the Bongo dynasty.

Nearly 1 million people are expected to vote. The draft constitution, which proposes sweeping changes that could prevent dynastic rule and transfer of power, needs more than 50% of the votes cast to be adopted.

The vote follows a military coup that overthrew the Bongo family, which ruled the central African nation from 1967 to 2023.

Gabon is holding a constitutional referendum on Saturday that could reshape its political system – introducing a seven-year presidential term, renewable once, while abolishing the post of prime minister.