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Soldiers announced on national TV they were taking power in Gabon and declared the cancellation of the elections after the announcement of Ali Bongo Ondimba’s victory.
Ondimba was seeking a third seven-year term and to continue a 55-year political dynasty. Bongo came to power in 2009 after the death of his father, Omar Bongo, who ruled the country for 41 years.
ADVERTISEMENTBongo, 64, won his current term in office by a narrow margin in 2016 amid violent protests. This year, the opposition united in favour of his main challenger, economics professor Albert Ondo Ossa, one week before Saturday’s elections.
Around 847,000 people were eligible to cast ballots Saturday. Voters in Libreville, Gabon’s capital, complained of polling stations opening late. Voting was scheduled to begin in the morning, but many election sites had failed to open as of 2 p.m.
“I’ve finally voted. I’ve been here since 6 am. It was at 12 noon that I was able to vote, because the polling station opened at 11 am,” Ballack Obame, a former student leader, said.
This is a developing story.
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