Confusion reigns in Gabon where, hardly the result of the presidential election of Saturday August 26 known, soldiers intervened on the public television channel Gabon 24 to announce the cancellation of the elections and the dissolution of the institutions. “We are putting an end to the regime in place”, affirmed a group of a dozen Gabonese soldiers on Wednesday August 30 at dawn, specifying that “the borders are closed”.
In power for fourteen years, President Ali Bongo Ondimba had just been declared re-elected on Wednesday morning for a third term, with 64.27% of the votes cast.
According to the national authority in charge of elections, Mr. Bongo had beaten, in a single ballot, his main rival, Albert Ondo Ossa, who won only 30.77% of the vote, as well as 12 other candidates who have collected only crumbs. The president of the Gabonese Election Center (CGE), Michel Stéphane Bonda, announced the results on the air of Gabon 1st state television. The participation rate was 56.65%.
“Irresponsible governance”
After noting “an irresponsible, unpredictable governance, which results in a continuous deterioration of social cohesion risking to lead the country to chaos (…), we have decided to defend peace by putting an end to the regime in place”, declared one of these soldiers, saying he was speaking on behalf of a “Committee for the transition and restoration of institutions”.
According to Agence France-Presse journalists present on the spot, automatic weapon fire was heard during this statement in the Gabonese capital, Libreville.
