Military officials say they have seized power in Gabon just hours after President Ali Bongo’s re-election

Gabon military officials say they have seized power in the Central African nation, vowing to close borders and dissolve state institutions just hours after election results were announced.

The state election body announced President Ali Bongo Ondimba had won a third term on Wednesday.

Mr Ali Bongo won with 64.25 per cent of the vote.

Hours later, senior military officials appeared on national television channel Gabon 24, saying they had taken power and were representing security and defence forces.

The officials told the public election results were cancelled, all borders were closed until further notice and state institutions were dissolved.

As one officer read the joint statement, a dozen others stood silently behind him in military fatigues and berets.

Gabon’s President Ali Bongo Ondimba (right) cast his vote in the election last week.(Reuters: Gabonese Presidency Press service/Handout )

“Today, the country is going through a serious institutional, political, economic and social crisis,” the officer said. 

“In the name of the Gabonese people … we have decided to defend the peace by putting an end to the current regime.” 

The servicemen introduced themselves as members of The Committee of Transition and the Restoration of Institutions.

The state institutions they declared dissolved included the government, the senate, the national assembly, the constitutional court and the election body.

Loud sounds of gunfire could be heard in the capital Libreville, a Reuters reporter said after the television appearance.

There was no immediate comment from the incumbent government.

The Gabon government thwarted a coup against Mr Ali Bongo in 2019.

Saturday’s vote in the nation saw tension run high as Mr Ali Bongo attempted to extend his family’s 56-year grip on power.

His main rival, Albert Ondo Ossa, won 30.77 per cent of the vote, and had denounced “fraud orchestrated by the Bongo camp” during the election campaign.

Before polls closed on Saturday, Mr Ali Bongo’s government imposed a curfew and a nationwide internet shutdown to prevent the spread of “false news” and possible violence, according to Libreville.

Coups in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Chad and Niger have undermined democratic progress in recent years.

Reuters/ AFP