Five days after seizing control in a coup in Gabon, the Central African nation’s new military leader, Gen. Brice Nguema, was inaugurated in 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.
After the military ousted President Ali Bongo of the long-reigning Bongo family on August 30, Nguema vowed 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 new elections.
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Later, a putschist spokesperson claimed that Gabon’s borders had been immediately reopened.
Following the putsch on August 30, the military first closed 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 the nation’s oil wealth, majority of Gabon’s 2.3 million inhabitants live in poverty.
