section_path: Reactions/Domestic
section_name: Domestic
paragraph_text: Domestic
  
  Following the announcement of the coup, celebrations broke out in the streets of Libreville and in other cities across the country. The Port of Libreville suspended operations.
  
  A spokesman for the opposition Alternance 2023 coalition thanked the army for standing up to an "electoral coup d'etat" without bloodshed and called on it to finish counting the results of the annulled election and formally recognize the victory of its candidate, Albert Ondo Ossa, adding that it had invited the security forces to take part in discussions "to work out the situation within a patriotic and responsible framework". However, Ondo Ossa himself criticized the coup, calling it "a disappointment", a "family affair" and a " palace revolution ", claiming that it had been orchestrated by Ali Bongo's estranged sister Pascaline Bongo and noting that it was led by Oligui, who was also Bongo's cousin. In conjunction with the election, he called the recent events "two coups in one", while continuing to assert himself as the winner in the election. Alternance 2023 later called Oligui's inauguration as transitional president "absurd" and called on the international community to push the military into restoring civilian rule. However, after meeting with Oligui on 5 September, Ondo Ossa called on citizens in an online post "to believe in a better and brighter future" for Gabon.