Two years ago, the president of Gabon, Ali Bongo Ondimba, suffered a stroke. He took months to recover, which led parliament to begin discussions about making a change to the constitution. Recently, parliament agreed to change the constitution to make a solution in case the president becomes incapacitated. The constitution now states that the president’s power shall be transferred to a triumvirate made up of “the speakers of its chambers of parliament and the defence minister.” The opposition leader in parliament, Jean Gaspard Ntoutoume Ayi says that the change, “was thrown together – it’s a poor coverup for a problem that everyone knows, which is that Mr. Bongo is no longer able to run the country.”
Whether or not Mr. Bongo still has the ability to govern the country, the change to the constitution will be able to help, should a power vacuum present itself again. The lack of a head of state results in a power vacuum, which, in history, has usually led to revolts, violence, and wars. Having this new amendment in the constitution in place can help maintain the stability of government in Gabon and aid in a smoother transfer of power. If successful, the change also shows the world what it looks like to have an appropriate transfer of power when the president is incapacited. The triumvirate system assures that decisions will be made, but no one person can claim the presidency or have too much power; they all must share the power equally.
The change can aid in the continuation of democracy in Gabon. Similar to the key assumptions of liberal institutionalism with the people and the government acting rationally and going through the appropriate channels of amending the constitution to establish a peaceful process for change. The change also reflects the key assumption of cooperation. Establishing a triumvirate, with three different people working together, must work together to make decisions and cooperate to ensure the functioning of the government.