Senior military officials have announced that they are dissolving all the government institutions in Gabon. They are also closing the country’s borders due to what they see as irresponsible and unpredictable leadership.
The soldiers said they were doing this to protect the country and its security and defense forces. As a result of their actions, they are canceling the recent general elections that took place on August 26, 2023. These elections produced incomplete results.
After this announcement, there were reports of gunfire in the capital city, Libreville.
The reason for this move by the military is linked to the recent election in which the current leader, Bongo, was declared the winner for a third term. He received around 64% of the votes. Bongo and his main competitor, Ondo Ossa, were part of a race involving 14 candidates. This election covered various positions, including the presidency, parliament, and legislature.
There were concerns that there might be problems after the election, as Bongo’s family has been in power for a long time—56 years. Since gaining independence from France in 1960, Gabon has not had much experience with democratic processes.
Gabon is known as one of the wealthier countries in Africa because of its significant GDP per person. This is mainly due to income from oil and a relatively small population of 2.3 million. Despite this, a large portion of the population, about one-third, still lives in poverty, according to the World Bank.