After President Ali Bongo was re-elected to a third term in Gabon, army officers appeared on national television to declare that they had seized power.
The officers, according to the BBC, announced they were annulling the results of Saturday’s election, which the opposition had called “fraudulent.”
Twelve soldiers reportedly appeared on television to declare that the election results would be annulled and “all the institutions of the republic” would be dissolved.
“We have decided to defend peace by putting an end to the current regime,” one of the troops was quoted as saying 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) pronounced Bongo the winner of the election, with 64.27% of the ballots cast.
Albert Ossa, Bongo’s biggest competitor, polled second with 30.77%, according to CGE president Michel Bonda.
Bongo’s staff has dismissed Ossa’s charges of electoral fraud and anomalies.
Following the presidential and parliamentary elections, tensions in Gabon have been high, with worries of upheaval.
The overthrow of Bongo would terminate his family’s 53-year reign. When his father, Omar, died in 2009, he became president.
Bongo had a stroke in 2018, which incapacitated him for about a year and prompted calls for him to stand down.
In 2019, there was a coup attempt on Bongo. Soldiers who led the failed putsch were sent to prison.
