Military Coup in Gabon, Africa: "Presidential Election Results Nullified, We Seize Power"

Military: "Cannot Trust Election Results... Border Closure"
Incumbent President Secures Third Term in Recent Presidential Election

In Gabon, Central Africa, the military declared on the 30th (local time) that it had seized power through a coup d'?tat in response to the incumbent president, who has maintained long-term rule, securing a third term in the recent election.

According to AP News and others, senior military officers appeared on the state-run Gabon24 TV broadcast on the same day, stating, "We, representing all security and defense forces, have seized power. We are dissolving the national institutions of the Gabonese Republic," and declared, "The recent election results are not trustworthy and are therefore nullified."

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Referring to themselves as the "Transitional Committee for the Reconstruction of National Institutions," they claimed, "We have witnessed irresponsible and unpredictable governance causing national turmoil amid the continuous weakening of social cohesion," and added, "In the name of the Gabonese people, we have decided to preserve peace by putting an end to the current regime."

The military leadership also stated that the presidential election held on the 26th was canceled, and that borders would be closed and major institutions dissolved until further notice.

Foreign media reported that gunfire was heard in downtown Libreville shortly after the broadcast.

This coup came just three days after the presidential election in Gabon. In the election held on the 26th, incumbent President Ali Bongo Ondimba was elected with 64.27% of the vote. Opposition candidate Ondo Ossa received 30.77%, failing to gain power. Voter turnout was 56.65%.

The current government has not issued any statements regarding the military's claims.

If this coup succeeds, foreign media report it will be the eighth coup to occur in West and Central Africa since 2020.

President Bongo, currently in power, succeeded his father Omar, who ruled for 42 years, and has governed Gabon for the past 14 years. He assumed the presidency after winning the election following his father Omar's death in 2009. Despite criticism of electoral fraud in the 2016 election, he was re-elected by a margin of about 5,500 votes.

In 2018, President Bongo suffered a stroke and received medical treatment abroad for five months. During this time, various rumors circulated about his health. In January 2019, while he was abroad, a small-scale military coup occurred domestically but was suppressed.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.