A group of senior Gabonese military officers appeared on television in the early hours of Wednesday and said they had taken power, after the state election body announced President Ali Bongo had won a third term.
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Appearing on the television channel Gabon 24, Twelve soldiers said the election results were cancelled, all borders closed until further notice and state institutions dissolved.
One of the soldiers said : “We have decided to defend peace by putting an end to the current regime.”
This, he added, was down to “irresponsible, unpredictable governance resulting in a continuing deterioration in social cohesion that risks leading the country into chaos”.
Control TV recalled that Bongo came to power when his father Omar died in 2009 and foiled a coup in 2019, a year after he was sidelined by stroke.
The transparency of Saturday’s poll had been called into question due to a lack of international observers, the suspension of some foreign broadcasts, and the authorities’ decision to cut internet service and impose a night-time curfew nationwide.
(C)ControlTV2023.
