2023-08-30 09:33:14
The political situation is uncertain in Gabon. After the announcement of the victory of outgoing President Ali Bongo with 64.27% of the votes cast, a group of a dozen soldiers announced on Wednesday the cancellation of the presidential election and the dissolution of “all the institutions of the Republic “. Journalists also heard gunfire in the capital Libreville as the borders are “closed until further notice”. 20 Minutes takes stock of the latest events.
The official results give Ali Bongo the winner
Even before the publication of the official results of the presidential election, which took place last Saturday, the opponent of the outgoing president had denounced “fraud orchestrated by the Bongo camp” and was already claiming victory. However, according to the national authority in charge of the poll, Ali Bongo Ondimba, in power for 14 years, obtained a third term in Saturday’s elections with 64.27% of the votes cast.
Ali Bongo beat, in a single round ballot, his main rival Albert Ondo Ossa, who won only 30.77% of the vote, as well as 12 other candidates who only collected crumbs, detailed the President of the Gabonese Elections Center (CGE), Michel Stéphane Bonda, on the air of Gabon 1ère state television.
The soldiers refuse the results and put an “end to the regime in place”
A few minutes after the announcement of this victory, a dozen soldiers published a press release read on the Gabon 24 television channel housed within the presidency to announce the cancellation of the election.
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 that he was speaking on behalf of a “Committee for transition and restoration of institutions”. “To this end, the general elections of August 26, 2023 as well as the truncated results are cancelled,” he added.
Dissolution des institutions
“All the institutions of the republic are dissolved, the government, the Senate, the National Assembly, the Constitutional Court. We call on the population for calm and serenity and we reaffirm our attachment to the respect of Gabon’s commitments to the international community,” he continued. The soldier also announced the closure of the borders “until further notice”.
“We call on the populations, the communities of sister countries settled in Gabon as well as the Gabonese of the diaspora for calm and serenity. We reaffirm our attachment to the respect of Gabon’s commitments vis-à-vis the national and international community. Gabonese people, it is finally our rise towards bliss, ”read the soldier again. Among the soldiers were members of the Republican Guard (GR), an elite unit and Praetorian Guard of the presidency recognizable by their green berets, as well as regular army soldiers and police officers.
Shooting in Libreville
During these statements on television, AFP journalists on site heard automatic weapon fire in the Gabonese capital. These sporadic shots quickly ceased.
Popular reaction
In the working-class Plein Ciel district of Libreville, not far from the center, an AFP staff member saw around a hundred people on a bridge, on foot or in cars, shouting: “This is the liberation! or even “Bongo out!” “. To the sound of horns, they greeted and applauded police in riot gear with masked faces. Soldiers aboard a transport vehicle raised their arms in victory, and were applauded by the crowd.
In the well-to-do district of Akanda, not far from Ali Bongo’s residence, residents stood on their doorsteps, not daring to go out, laughing soldiers from an elite unit asking them to go home. In Port-Gentil, the economic capital, on the Place du Château d’eau in a very working-class district and traditional stronghold of the opposition, hundreds of people drove out, honking their horns to the cry of “Gabon is liberated”. Some dance with police and soldiers in uniform, reported Ousmane Manga, an independent journalist contacted by telephone by AFP.
Internet restored
The Internet was restored in Gabon a few hours after the military coup and three days after being cut off by the government, which invoked the risk of violence on presidential day, an AFP journalist noted on Wednesday.
Vigilance recommended for French travelers
In view of the tensions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has updated its page on Gabon and its advice to French travelers. It is thus recommended “to observe the greatest vigilance” and “to avoid or limit all travel to the essential, to keep informed of the situation and to respect the security instructions given by the embassy”. “It is also recommended, if you are passing through, as far as possible, to register on Ariadne’s thread of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs”, adds the Quai d’Orsay.
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