1st LD Writethru: Gabonese gov't resigns after court ruling over delayed elections

LIBREVILLE, May 1 (Xinhua) -- Gabonese Prime Minister Emmanuel Issoze-Ngondet's government resigned Tuesday after the constitutional court ordered it to step down over election delays, an official statement said.

The constitutional court decided on Monday to end the rights of the National Assembly, or the lower house of the parliament, and recommended the resignation of the government.

The court's decision came after the government failed to organize the Central African nation's parliamentary elections by the end of April, two years after the expiry of the deputies' mandate.

The National Assembly was dissolved to prevent members from sitting for an additional term without being re-elected.

The court ruled to transfer the rights of the National Assembly to the upper house Senate before the new elections.

Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba is free to renew his prime minister's mandate or to appoint another person until the elections are held, and is ruled by the court to take control of the government from the assembly.

The just dissolved National Assembly was elected a five-year term from December 2011 to the end of 2016. However, the parliamentary elections for a new term have been delayed since late 2016, after Ali Bongo's re-election as president in August that year was rejected by the opposition and ignited conflicts among protesters and security forces. Enditem