On Saturday August 26, Gabon held presidential elections —and also municipal and legislative—, from which the current president, Ali Bongo, was re-elected. The opposition denounced a “fraud orchestrated” by the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG), to which Bongo belongs, which is why the Government decided to cut off all Internet access to avoid “disinformation” and information manipulation. A few days later, a group of soldiers announced that the Gabonese Army has seized powergiving shape to a coup in the African country.

“Our beautiful country, Gabon, It has always been a haven of peace. Today, this country is going through a serious institutional, political, economic and social crisis,” said a group of about twelve soldiers in a message broadcast on the Gabon 24 television channel. to admit that the organization of the electoral deadlines, known as the general elections of August 26, 2023, did not meet the conditions for a transparent, credible and inclusive votelong awaited by the Gabonese and Gabonese people”.

They have also denounced that “added to this is irresponsible and unpredictable governance, which translates into a continuous deterioration of social cohesionwith the risk of bringing the country into chaos”. “Today, August 30, 2023, we, the defense and security forces, gathered in the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions (CTRI), on behalf of the Gabonese people and guarantor of the protection of the institutions, we have decided to defend peace by putting an end to the current regime“, they have settled.

The military have also emphasized that “for this purpose, the general elections of August 26 are annulled of 2023, as well as the truncated results”. In addition, the The country’s borders “are closed until further notice” and “all the institutions of the Republic are dissolved, including the Government, the Senate, the National Assembly and the Constitutional Court.

The coup leaders have finally made a “call for calm and serenity to the people“, and have reaffirmed their “respect for Gabon’s commitments to the national and international community.” The message was issued after the Autonomous and Permanent National Electoral Commission (CENAP) reported that Bongo, who has been in power since 2009, had won the presidential elections on the 26th with 64.27% of the votesdespite allegations of fraud by the opposition.

The opposition denounces an “orchestrated fraud”

Bongo drum, whose victory grants him a third five-year term, prevailed over the candidate of the main opposition coalition Alternancia 2023, Albert Ondo Ossa, who came in second with 33.77% of the ballot. Ossa had denounced “an orchestrated fraud” by President Bongo’s Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) in the elections, which took place without the presence of international observers.

The Gabonese authorities cut the internet connection and imposed a curfew after the celebration this Saturday of the elections, which were presidential, legislative and municipal. More than 846,800 Gabonese were called to the polls this Saturday to vote on a day that was characterized by delays of up to several hours in the opening of some polling stations.

In these one-round electionsBongo was seeking a third five-year term, having seized power in 2009 after the death of his father, Omar Bongo, who has ruled the country since 1967. This vote took place under the shadow of the last presidential election in 2016 ( then presidential terms were seven years), when Bongo defeated the opposition Jean Ping by less than 6,000 votes and the opposition denounced electoral fraud.

The complaints sparked a post-election crisis with harshly suppressed violent protestsin which the demonstrators came to set fire to the National Assembly.

Those elections were also questioned internationally and the European Union observation mission, which this year did not send observers to Gabon, perceived “anomalies” that questioned the process and its end result. The announcement of the takeover by the Gabonese military occurred after the coup d’état committed by the Army in Niger last July 26.

Niger thus became the fourth West African country led by a military junta, after Mali, Guinea-Conakry and Burkina Faso, where there were also coups between 2020 and 2022.