Gabon parliament resumes after National Assembly burnt down in protests

Gabon’s parliamentary sessions resumed on Tuesday barely a week after the National Assembly was burnt down following protests that followed the disputed elections.

As lawmakers gathered in the Senate building, the National Assembly president denounced the attack in his opening address.

“The Gabonese people are asking themselves many questions and expressing great fears. Nothing, I repeat, nothing can justify burning down the National Assembly because the national assembly is not the property of any one political party. It is the home of the Gabonese people, of all the Gabonese people,” said Richard Auguste Onouviet president of the National Assembly.

Protesters marched to the parliament building last Wednesday after President Ali Bongo was re-elected for another seven year term to extend the Bongo dynasty’s rule.

The country’s opposition has claimed the election was stolen.

Meanwhile, the EU mission observing the election has stated there was clear anomaly in the results.