The ailment of President Ali Bongo of Gabon has forced the constitutional court to intervene to avert a political crisis.
The country has been tense since the absence of the president which created a vacum in governance.
There have been no government meetings since he was taken to hospital in Saudi Arabia last month.
The court has amended the constitution to allow the vice-president or prime minister to run cabinet meetings if the president is temporarily unavailable – a move the opposition says is illegal.
Amid speculation that the president had suffered a stroke and some even questioning whether he was still alive, President Bongo’s office finally admitted on Sunday that he was recovering from surgery.
The 59-year-old Ali Bongo, succeeded his father Omar Bongo in 2009.
His father served as president for more than 40 years.
