(Bloomberg) — Gabonese voters agreed to extend the terms of the country’s presidents from five years to seven years in a referendum on a new constitution that is seen as an important step toward a return to civilian rule.

It also paves the way for military leader Brice Oligui Nguema to run in the country’s next presidential elections, scheduled for August 2025.

The proposed bill was supported by 92% of voters, Interior Minister Hermann Immongault said in a statement to Libreville-based Gabon24 television. Voter turnout was 54%, Immongault said.

“Once adopted, the new constitution should pave the way for the continuation of the electoral process, leading to a return to constitutional order,” Willy Giscard Ontsia, chief of staff of the Justice Ministry, said by telephone. “Elections are expected to take place from August 2025, although this timetable may be changed if necessary.”

The new code replaces the position of prime minister with that of vice-president and sets a limit of seven years to the presidential term with only one renewal possible.

Presidential candidates must not be over 70 years old and both parents must have Gabonese nationality.

Nguema, 49, toppled former President Ali Bongo in August last year, hours after Bongo was declared the winner of a presidential election that would have extended his family’s 55 years of rule.

Bongo has led OPEC’s smallest member since 2009, after succeeding his father, Omar Bongo, in power since 1967.

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