After President Ali Bongo was elected to a third term in office in Gabon, army officers emerged on national television to claim they had taken control of the country.
The officials reportedly declared that they were nullifying the election results from Saturday because they had been deemed “fraudulent” by the opposition.
According to reports, twelve soldiers appeared on television to declare that they would dissolve “all the institutions of the republic” and annul the election results.
One of the troops was quoted on the television network Gabon 24 as saying, “We have decided to defend peace by overthrowing the current regime.”
The soldier blamed “irresponsible, unpredictable governance resulting in a continuing deterioration in social cohesion that risks leading the country into chaos” as the cause of the problem.
With 64.27% of the vote cast, the Gabonese Election Centre (CGE) pronounced Bongo the winner of the election on Wednesday.
Albert Ossa, Bongo’s major opponent, came in second with 30.77% of the vote, according to CGE director Michel Bonda.
Ossa’s charges of electoral fraud and anomalies have been denied by Bongo’s staff.
Since the presidential and parliamentary elections, tensions in Gabon have been high and there are fears of upheaval.
The 53-year rule of his family would come to an end with Bongo’s coup. When his father Omar passed away in 2009, he was elected president.
In 2018, Bongo had a stroke that left him unable to function for about a year, prompting demands that he resign down.
An effort was made to overthrow Bongo in 2019. The soldiers who orchestrated the failed coup were imprisoned.