During the coup in Gabon, the army has warned that a “continued deterioration of social cohesion” threatens to “lead the country into chaos”, announcing the annulment of elections and the dissolution of institutions.
This follows Gabonese Elections Centre, whereby it was officially announced that there had been a victory by Ali Bongo with 64.27% of the vote. Afterwards, twelve members of the military appeared on television on the Gabon 24 channel, whose headquarters are located in the presidency itself.
The army members added they had “decided to defend peace by putting an end to the current regime”.
“To this effect, the elections of 26 August and the manipulated results are annulled.” (…)
“All the institutions of the Republic have been dissolved: the government, the Senate, the National Assembly and the Constitutional Court.”
Ali Bongo (picture) has run for a third term, reduced from seven to five years, in the elections, which included presidential, legislative and municipal elections.
BREAKING: Gabonese military officers seize power after the reelection of President Ali Bongo.
"We are putting an end to the current regime," #Gabon soldiers say on TV early Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/TcUJHQFcHW
— Cyprian, Is Nyakundi (@C_NyaKundiH) August 30, 2023
Commenting on the coup, Professor Michaël Tanchum, who teaches international relations and political economy of the Middle East and North Africa at Universidad de Navarra, Spain, comments that “Gabon was a pillar of France’s hard power in Africa”, adding “This piece explains and predicted France’s time in Africa is up”.
🇬🇦Coup in #Gabon
Gabon was a pillar of #France’s hard power in #Africa
This piece explains and predicted France’s time in Africa is up👇 https://t.co/EAvdRsi6Ys
— Prof. Michael Tanchum (@michaeltanchum) August 30, 2023
🇨🇳 loses no time and wades into the Gabonese situation:
China calls for safety of Gabon's President Bongo to be guaranteed | The East African https://t.co/1R1uxlExnr
— François Heisbourg (@FHeisbourg) August 30, 2023
Africa’s 7 military coups over past 2 years, in one map pic.twitter.com/krygK4FuHT
— Prof. Michael Tanchum (@michaeltanchum) August 31, 2023
Picture: Ali Bongo, the third president of Gabon from 2009 to 2023 (Copyright: By U.S. Department of State from United States – Deputy Secretary Sherman Meets with Gabonese President Bongo Ondimba, Public Domain) https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=134250256