APA-Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) The Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat Wednesday condemned in strong terms the attempted coup in Gabon as a means out of the current post-election crisis.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the AUC chairperson strongly recalled that it constitutes a flagrant violation of the legal and political instruments of the African Union including the Charter on Election, Democracy and Governance
He further called on the national army and security forces to adhere strictly to their republican vocation and guarantee the physical integrity of the president of the Republic, members of his family, and those of his government.
The official statement noted that the AUC chairperson encourages all political, civil and military actors in Gabon to give priority to peaceful political avenues, and rapid return to democratic constitutional order in the country.
The Gabonese military have canceled presidential election results and dissolved state institutions, officers said Wednesday, claiming that they have taken power and put President Ali Bongo under house arrest.
In a televised statement, a group of senior Gabonese officers said that they seized power after Bongo, the incumbent president, was announced to be re-elected in a contested election.
The election results were cancelled, state institutions dissolved, and all borders closed until further notice, they said.
Gabon’s national electoral body said earlier in the day that Bongo from the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party was re-elected for a third term in Saturday’s election. However, the officers said that the election was not credible.
MG/abj/APA