Gabon military officers claim power, say election lacked credibility
www.aljazeera.com
Television announcement comes shortly after incumbent Ali Bongo is declared president for a third term.

cross-posted from: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/1550739

"Gabon military officers claim power, say election lacked credibility Television announcement comes shortly after state election body announces incumbent Ali Bongo had won a third term as president.

A group of senior military officers has gone on national television in Gabon saying they have seized power because elections held over the weekend were not credible.

The officers, appearing on Gabon24 in the early hours of Wednesday morning, said they had cancelled the elections, dissolved all state institutions and closed the country’s borders.

They said they represented all security and defence forces of Gabon.

The announcement came shortly after the state election body said President Ali Bongo Ondimba had won a third term in office in Saturday’s disputed elections.

“In the name of the Gabonese people … we have decided to defend the peace by putting an end to the current regime,” the officers said.

The Gabonese Election Centre said Bongo had secured 64.27 percent of the vote compared with 30.77 percent for his main challenger Albert Ondo Ossa, after a process beset by delays.

Further Context: https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2023/08/26/gabon-will-ali-bongo-ondimba-rule-for-another-five-years_6108971_4.html

  • Sinister [none/use name, comrade/them]BEnglish
    24•9 months ago

    Gabon is like a major oil producer near the Gulf of Guinea. For a very long time most of its oil money went to a francophone upper class, leaving most of the population in poverty. It was one of the few colonies of french equatorial africa that supported the vichy government. Most of the population is considered part of the Fang ethnic group, similar to the mainland of equatorial quinea.