The Bongo family held the political reins in Gabon for 56 years. This Wednesday (August 30, 2023), a group of military coup leaders ended the dynasty, which did not surprise African analysts interviewed by DW.
The Bongo family came to power in 1967 when Ali Bongo’s father, Omar, became president. Ali took power after the death of Omar, who had ruled the Central African country for 41 years.
“The Gabonese people are hungry for change! That’s why, despite the fact that it was a military coup, most people are relieved that 60 years of dynastic family rule have finally come to an end,” he said. Nathalie Mezo, a human rights activist from Gabon, told DW.
After 14 years at the helm of the African country, Ali Bongo was declared the winner of last Sunday’s presidential election with 64.27 percent of the vote. However, the coup leaders annulled the election results.
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A dubious electoral process
There were signs that discontent could turn violent following a last-minute change in election rules that forced voters to choose the presidential and parliamentary candidates of the same political party.
“The elections were unfair and absurd. If someone voted for an MP from Ali Bongo’s PDG party, they were forced to vote for Bongo in the presidential election and vice versa,” Jocksy Ondo Louemba, an exiled Gabonese journalist, told DW.
On Wednesday, a crowd took to the streets and sang the national anthem to celebrate the coup against the Bongo dynasty.
Activist Mezo believes that the coup was predictable and prepared in advance: “If the citizens already know that the election result will be in favor of the outgoing president, then the army knows much more.”
According to a recent Afrobarometer survey, 66 percent of Gabonese support military coups to correct a situation in which elected leaders are suspected of abusing power.
According to political economist Leonard Mbulle-Nziege, many people were eagerly awaiting the end of the Bongo dynasty: “Gabon is what we would call an electoral authoritarian regime. And this despite the fact that multi-party elections take place regularly.”, democratic institutions and the judiciary were undermined by the Bongo family law.
A crowd took to the streets to sing the national anthem and celebrate the end of the Bongo dynasty. In the picture a person is hugging a soldier. Image: Desirey Minkoh/Afrikimages/IMAGO
What caused the blow?
Oil generates 60 percent of Gabon’s income, making it one of the richest countries in Africa. However, the World Bank notes that the majority of the population still lives below the poverty line of US$5.50 a day.
According to Mbulle-Nziege, Bongo has failed to solve the country’s major economic problems. He has been accused of enriching himself at the expense of Gabon’s natural resources while many people are struggling to survive.
Additionally, the Bongo family has long faced allegations of corruption, and in 2021, the Pandora Papers exposed Ali Bongo’s ties to secret offshore companies in tax havens.
Why did the army turn its back on Bongo?
In 2019, coup plotters had already attempted to overthrow Ali Bongo, who was in Morocco at the time recovering from a stroke. However, Wednesday’s coup marked the first time since 1967 that the military had taken a firm stand against the family.
Ali Bongo “was against dialogue. He thought he could do anything with violence and the police,” says journalist Jocksy Ondo Louemba.
“A certain cohesion was necessary,” emphasizes the exile analyst, adding that the coup would have been impossible if the majority of the troops had not agreed.
(vt/rml)