On November 16, Gabonese voters ratified a referendum on a new constitution, the fruit of bitter discussions between the transitional military authorities who deposed Ali Bongo’s regime in August 2023 and Gabonese civil society players, some of whom were calling for the criminalization of homosexuality to be included in the draft constitution. In the end, the draft constitution instead included important provisions protecting LGBT+ rights but with the caveat that it also codified a definition of marriage that excludes same-sex couples. The referendum was ratified with over 90% of the vote, despite a low turnout of almost 55%. This is a moment of great change for the oil-rich, central African nation. The coup brought to an end 56 years of rule by the Bongo family, and the new constitution is meant to return the country to a democratic, republican order, with fresh elections to be held in April of next year.