Top-Ranked Military Carry Out Coup In Gabon

• 30.08.2023, 9:18

The officers announced the cancellation of the presidential election results.

On the morning of August 30, a group of high-ranking Gabon military officials on national television announced their disagreement with the results of the last presidential election, and also announced the dissolution of state institutions and the closure of borders, Reuters reports.

“The soldiers of Gabon announce the cancellation of elections and the dissolution of institutions on television. We are putting an end to the current regime,” AFP reports on its X (ex-Twitter) account.

Earlier, 64-year-old President Ali Bongo Ondimba, who has been in office since 2009, won 64.27% of the vote in the elections, thereby being re-elected for a third term. His main rival, economics professor Albert Ondo Ossa, scored 30.77%, according to official figures.

The absence of international observers, the suspension of some foreign broadcasts, and the authorities' decision to turn off Internet services and impose night time curfews across the country following the election have raised concerns about the transparency of the electoral process, Reuters said.

Gabon gained independence in 1960. During this time, only three presidents have changed in the country. The current president of the country, Ali Bongo Ondimba, is the son of the second head of state, who died in 2009. His father has ruled the country since 1967. Thus, the Ondimba dynasty ruled Gabon for 56 years.

About a third of Gabon's population lives below the poverty line, according to World Bank data, despite the country's rich oil reserves.