The commander of the Republican Guard of Gabon, General Brice Clothaire Oligui Nguema, who led the coup to oust the democratically elected President Ali Bongo, will be sworn in as transitional president today, Monday, September 4, 2023.
Recall that the internet went agog last week after the military junta in Gabon announced the takeover of power from Bongo, another coup in Africa after Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum‘s ousting.
The coup in Gabon happened just a few days after Bongo, 64, was proclaimed the winner of the just concluded presidential election in the country.
The poll result, however, is branded a fraud by the opposition.
Hours after the coup, the military leaders that led the coup announced Nguema would be taking control for an unspecified period.
Speaking earlier, Nguema said the putsch was “bloodless” with no reports of deaths or injuries.
The coup leaders said they had dissolved the nation’s institutions, cancelled the election results, and closed the borders, later adding they had decided to reopen them.
However, other countries have not acknowledged the Military General as Gabon’s legitimate leader even as he faces pressure to spell out his plans for restoring civilian rule.
Nguema has since promised to organise “free, transparent, credible and peaceful elections”, without specifying when they would take place but saying that a new constitution must first be adopted by referendum.
Last Friday, he vowed to create more democratic institutions that respect human rights, but said he would proceed “without haste”.
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