Gabon Civil Referendum Hearing Postponed to March 16 Libreville, Gabon — 13 March 2026 (AGP) — The civil referral hearing concerning the dispute between the High Authority of Communication (HAC) and the political party Ensemble pour le Gabon (EPG) has been adjourned to March 16, according to the Gabonese Press Agency.
The hearing, which commenced on Thursday, March 12, at the Libreville First Instance Court, saw defense attorney Me Kevin Nzigou raise an issue of the court’s jurisdiction. Me Nzigou argued that the subject of the dispute pertains to an administrative act, and thus, the competent jurisdiction should be the administrative court, not the judicial court.
Officials commented on the matter. “
When a jurisdiction is seized, there are prerequisites.
The judge must be competent when a question like this is raised.”.
Despite this, he criticized what he considered the instrumentalization of the procedure, asserting that if EPG had genuinely intended to uphold the law, it would have approached the competent jurisdiction.
The defense’s position led to contradictory exchanges between the lawyers of both parties, each presenting their arguments on the jurisdiction of the court called to decide the case.
On the part of the claimant, the position is the opposite of that of the defense, which maintains that the seized judge is competent.
She concluded that the judge referred to is the judge of preliminary relief because he is the judge of evidence, of the fact, the one who appraises the violation of individual freedoms. Following the arguments and debates, the presiding judge decided to adjourn the case for deliberation.
The decision on the jurisdiction of the court is expected on March 16 at 12:00 hours.
Further details are expected.
