Dozens of Gabon soldiers appeared on television on Wednesday to announce that they were "terminating the current regime" and canceling an election that, according to official results, President Ali Bongo Ondimba had won.
During the announcement, AFP journalists heard gunfire in the Gabon capital, Libreville.
Announcing the annulment of the result, one of the soldiers declared that "all the institutions of the republic" had been dissolved.
“We have decided to preserve the peace by ending the current regime,” one of the soldiers told Gabon 24 TV channel, adding that he was speaking on behalf of the “Comité de transition.” et de Restauration des Institutions”.
"For this purpose, the legislative elections on August 26, 2023 and the truncated results will be annulled," he added. “All institutions of the republic were dissolved: government, the Senate, the National Assembly and the Constitutional Court," he added, announcing the closure of the country's borders "until further notice".
Among the soldiers were members of the Republican Guard as well as regular troops and police.
The statement was also broadcast on the Gabon 1 public broadcaster.
AFP journalists heard gunfire in several areas of Libreville during the statement.
The announcement came shortly after the national election authority said Bongo, who has been in power for 14 years, won a third term in Saturday's election with 64.27% of the vote. Ondo Ossa denounced "fraud orchestrated by the Bongo faction", claiming victory before the election was over.
On Monday, Ondo Ossa's campaign manager, Mike Jocktane, called on Bongo to hand over power "without bloodshed", noting that the partial inventory had clearly given Ondo Ossa the lead without providing any any evidence.
Gabon Law prohibits any publication of partial results pending the final results, which can only be published by the Gabon Electoral Center, the body that organizes the election.
The official election results are announced at 03:00:30 (02:30 GMT) on state television without any prior announcement of the event.
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