The coup council in Gabon will inaugurate its commander as president.

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After General Brice Oligui Nguema and his supporters ousted re-elected President Ali Bongo, the African Union suspended Gabon’s membership.

According to the army, the general who toppled Gabon’s 55-year Bongo dynasty will be sworn in as interim president on Monday. The African Union’s peace and security council has resolved to “immediately suspend” Gabon following this week’s military takeover.

The opposition in Gabon has demanded that its candidate be declared the victor of the weekend polls.

A spokesman for the junta stated that General Brice Oligui Nguema would be sworn in before the constitutional court, giving an idea of how the “committee for the transition and restoration of institutions” will function.

 

Colonel Ulrich Manfoumbi Manfoumbi, a spokesman for the new administration, stated on state television that the military sought to ensure funders that it would “respect all commitments” at home and abroad and “phase in” transitional institutions.

On August 30, 2023, President Ali Bongo was overthrown by the military in the Republic of Gabon, according to a tweet from the African Union.

“[The AU] decides to immediately suspend Gabon’s participation in all AU activities, including those of its organs and institutions, until constitutional order has been restored in the nation.”

The declaration was made following a meeting of the AU council on the state of affairs in Gabon following the coup on Wednesday. The incident followed disputed elections in which Bongo was declared the victor.

According to the report, the meeting was presided over by Willy Nyamitwe of Burundi and Bankole Adeoye of Nigeria, the African Union’s commissioner for political affairs.

To “guarantee the physical integrity” of Bongo, who the coup leaders claimed had been placed under house arrest, Moussa Faki Mahamat, the head of the African Union commission, called on the Gabonese army and security services on Wednesday.

Faki also denounced the takeover and referred to the circumstances in Gabon as a “flagrant violation” of the African Union’s legal and political framework. The African Union is headquartered in Addis Abeba.

According to a tweet from Faki, “[Faki] encourages all political, civil, and military actors in Gabon to favour peaceful political paths leading to the swift restoration of democratic constitutional order in the country.”

Similar steps were taken earlier this month by the African Union to ban Niger following the overthrow of the nation’s elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, in a coup in the west African nation in July.

The main opposition in Gabon urged military authorities to complete the election vote count and declare their candidate the winner of the contentious vote.

The Alternance 2023 coalition also stated that it was encouraging the security forces to participate in dialogue “in order to work out the situation within a patriotic and responsible framework”.

According to Alliance spokesperson Mike Jocktane, security personnel had been stationed at each polling location and had supervised the movement of ballot boxes.

They thus served as the “first witnesses” to the “clear victory” of leading opposition candidate Albert Ondo Ossa, he claimed.

Moments after the national election inspector announced Bongo had won a third term with 64.27% of the vote, the coup statement was made early on Wednesday.

It stated that Ondo Ossa won 30.77%.

The university professor had vehemently accused Bongo of “fraud” prior to the results being announced and asked that he cede power “without bloodshed.”

In addition, Jocktane praised the soldiers on behalf of a “grateful homeland” for resisting a “electoral coup d’état” and saving the nation from casualties.

He requested the military to “supervise” the restart of the presidential election results tally, which he claimed would “formalise Mr. Ondo Ossa’s victory at the polls.”

Source: TheGuardian