LIBREVILLE: Gabon military leader General Brice Oligui Nguema has said that he would not rush to elections in the country despite mounting pressure to restore democracy in the country, western media reported on Friday.
Military officers led by Nguema, overthrew the government of President Nguema Ali Bongo on Wednesday, soon after the announcement about his victory in the elections for third time.
Bongo under house arrest
The coup leaders put Bongo under house arrest and installed Nguema as head of state, ending Bongo and his family’s 56-year power.
Nguema in a televised address said that that the junta would proceed quickly and avoid elections that repeat the previous mistakes by keeping the same people in government.
Central African regional bloc ECCAS has urged the United Nations and the African Union to support a rapid restoration of democracy in the country.
Bongo become president in 2009, taking over from his late father who came to power in 1967. His opponents criticize his family for not doing anything to share Gabon’s oil and mining wealth.
Gabon is a state rich in oil and minerals on the west coast of Central Africa, with a population of just 2.4 million.
