Army officers in Gabon have announced on national television that they have seized power from President Ali Bongo who was re-elected to a third term in office in the Central African nation.
The officers said they were annulling the results of Saturday’s election. The opposition had described the election as fraudulent.
The soldiers were said to have stated on television that they were cancelling the results of the election and dissolving all the institutions of the republic.
“We have decided to defend peace by putting an end to the current regime,” said one of the 12 soldiers on TV channel Gabon 24.
The soldier said the country was bedeviled by “irresponsible, unpredictable governance resulting in a continuing deterioration in social cohesion that risks leading the country into chaos”.
The Gabonese Election Centre (CGE) had announced Bongo winner of the election on Wednesday with 64.27% of the votes cast.
His main challenger, Albert Ossa, had been said by GCE head Michel Bonda, to have come second with 30.77% of the votes.
But Bongo’s team debunked Ossa’s allegations of electoral fraud and irregularities.
