“Deeply Concerning And Worrisome:” Commonwealth Reacts To Coup In Gabon

Eko Hot Blog reports that the Commonwealth has reacted to the fresh coup in Gabon on Wednesday.

This is coming hours after military officers in Gabon took over power from President Bongo, who was recently reelected.a

The Commonwealth, which said it was monitoring the situation closely, described it as deeply concerning and worrisome.

Earlier, this news platform reported that a group of senior Gabonese military officers appeared on television announcing they were “putting an end to the current regime” and canceling Ondimba’s election.a

Giving reason for their action, the coup leaders said severe institutional, political, economic, and social crises were factors responsible for the coup that they tagged ‘necessary’ for the progress of the West African country.

The coup leaders, upon taking over the country, dissolved all the institutions of the republic, the government, the Senate, the National Assembly, and the Constitutional Court.

The coup follows Ali Bongo’s third term victory in last Saturday’s election, where the national election authority said he had won with 64.27 percent of the vote.

Reacting to the coup, Commonwealth’s Secretary General, Patricia Scotland, said the body is fearful of the military coup in Gabon, considering it just joined the grouping last year.

He said the situation was “deeply concerning,” and “The Commonwealth Charter is clear that member states must uphold the rule of law and the principles of democracy at all times.”a

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