General Brice Oligui Nguema, who led the recent coup in Gabon, has been officially inaugurated as interim president.
In his inaugural speech, he pledged to maintain a republican regime and safeguard the achievements of democracy.
Oligui also vowed to hold “free and transparent elections” following an unspecified transition period and to grant amnesty to “prisoners of conscience.”
Oligui, head of the elite Republican Guard, led officers in a coup last week that toppled Gabon’s 55-year-old dynasty.
The ousting came just moments after Ali Bongo, 64, was proclaimed victor in last month’s presidential election — a result branded a fraud by the opposition.The coup leaders said they had dissolved the nation’s institutions, cancelled the election results and temporarily closed the borders.
“I swear before God and the Gabonese people to faithfully preserve the republican regime,” said Oligui.
Dressed in the red ceremonial costume of the Republican Guard, Oligui also swore to “preserve the achievements of democracy”, at the ceremony held before judges of the Constitutional Court.
He immediately pledged in a speech to hold “free… (and) transparent elections” after a transition period which he did not specify, and to amnesty “prisoners of conscience.”
Despite the coup, other nations have yet to recognize Oligui as the legitimate leader, putting pressure on him to clarify his plans for restoring civilian rule.
Oligui has been engaging in extensive discussions with various groups and individuals since taking power and has expressed his intent to establish democratic institutions respecting human rights, albeit without haste.
While some within Gabon’s opposition have called on Oligui to relinquish power, many citizens have celebrated the overthrow of the Bongo dynasty. Several Western countries and organizations have condemned the coup while acknowledging concerns over the credibility of the previous election.
Former president Bongo had been seeking his third term in office after coming to power in 2009 following the death of his father Omar, who ruled Gabon with an iron fist for over 40 years.
After seizing power, coup leaders put former President Bongo under house arrest and declared his “retirement.” However, Bongo countered by distributing a video via social media in which he claimed his son and wife, Sylvia, had also been detained. He appealed to friends worldwide for support.
National TV later broadcast images of Noureddin Bongo Valentin, the deposed president’s son, and other detained officials alongside suitcases filled with confiscated cash.
The military charged with treason, embezzlement, corruption, and forging the president’s signature.
Gabon’s coup adds to a string of similar events in African nations over the last three years, including Mali, Guinea, Sudan, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
