Only five days after seizing control in a coup in Gabon, the Central African nation’s new military leader, General Brice Oligui Nguema, was inaugurated as the interim president on Monday.
The inauguration event was held in front of enthusiastic people at the presidential palace in Libreville, the capital of Gabon.
Following last week’s military overthrow of President Ali Bongo, a member of the long-reigning Bongo family, Nguema promised to enact more democracy.
Nguema stated on state television that the suspension of all state institutions was only a temporary measure and did not outline any specific actions or a timeline for fresh elections.
Later, a putschist spokesman claimed that Gabon’s borders had been immediately reopened.
Following the putsch on August 30, the military first blocked all land, sea, and air borders. The new monarch was then proclaimed to be Nguema, commander of the presidential guard.
Four days prior, official results that the putschists later nullified after concluding they were rigged showed Bongo had won a third term.
Corruption has long been linked to the Bongo family, which has ruled in an authoritarian fashion for more than 50 years. Despite Gabon’s oil wealth, the nation’s 2.3 million inhabitants primarily live in poverty.
