Gabonese military officers say they have captured power from President Bongo

 

Gabon's military officers say they have taken over power following the electoral commission’s declaration of President Bongo as the winner of the 2023 presidential elections.

Appearing on national television on Wednesday morning, the senior military officers, who described themselves as members of the “Committee of Transition and the Restoration of Institutions”, announced they were canceling the results of the election and dissolving “all the institutions of the republic”. 

One of the twelve soldiers said on TV channel Gabon 24: “We have decided to defend peace by putting an end to the current regime.”

If successful, President Bongo’s overthrow would end his family's 56-year hold on power in Gabon.

The whereabouts of President Bongo have been unknown since last Saturday, after he cast his vote.

Like has been the case in many previous elections in Gabon, the 2023 general elections were fraught with many irregularities. Many Gabonese and institutions such as Election Without Borders raised serious concerns about the process and questioned the validity of the results.

According to the Gabonese Election Centre, President Bongo won the election with 64.27% of the vote, with his main contender, Albert Ondo Ossa, coming in second with 30.77%.

Main opposition candidate Albert Ondo Ossa alleges that many polling stations lacked ballot papers bearing his name.

If successful, this would be the eighth coup in former French colonies in Africa in the past three years.