- Gabon army officers claim power seizure after President Ali Bongo’s disputed third-term re-election; they denounce current regime for chaos risk
- Officers on national TV dissolve institutions, annul election results deemed “fraudulent” by opposition, leading to fears of unrest
- President Bongo declared winner by Gabonese Election Centre with 64.27% votes, dismissing fraud allegations; previous coup attempt in 2019
After President Ali Bongo was re-elected to a third term in Gabon, army officers appeared on national television to declare they had seized power.
According to the BBC, the officers said they were annulling the results of Saturday’s election, which the opposition had called “fraudulent.”
According to reports, twelve soldiers appeared on television to announce the dissolution of “all the institutions of the republic.”
“We have decided to defend peace by ending the current regime,” one of the soldiers said on the Gabonese television channel Gabon 24.
According to the soldier, “irresponsible, unpredictable governance has resulted in a continuing deterioration in social cohesion that risks leading the country into chaos.”
On Wednesday, the Gabonese Election Centre (CGE) declared Bongo the winner, with 64.27% of the votes cast.
Albert Ossa, Bongo’s main challenger, polled second with 30.77%, according to CGE head Michel Bonda.
Bongo’s team has dismissed Ossa’s allegations of electoral fraud and irregularities.
Following the presidential and parliamentary elections, tensions in Gabon have been high, with fears of unrest.
The overthrow of Bongo would end his family’s 53-year reign. When his father, Omar, died in 2009, he became president.
Bongo, 64, suffered a stroke in 2018 that sidelined him for nearly a year, prompting calls for him to step down.
There was a coup attempt on Bongo in 2019. Soldiers who participated in the failed putsch were imprisoned.