Gabon’s primary opposition group, Alternance 2023, has called upon the international community to encourage the junta that ousted President Ali Bongo to return power to civilian authorities.

Following a coup by military officers on Wednesday, shortly after Bongo was declared the winner of a third term in an election, ending his family’s nearly 60-year rule, he was placed under house arrest, and General Brice Nguema was installed as the transitional leader.

The coup, the eighth in West and Central Africa in three years, sparked celebratory demonstrations in the capital, Libreville.

However, the opposition, claiming to be the legitimate victor of the Saturday election, has raised objections.

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The spokesperson for Alternance 2023’s leader, Alexandra Pangha, stated, “We were pleased that Ali Bongo was overthrown, but… we hope that the international community will support the Republic and the democratic order in Gabon by urging the military to return power to civilians.”

Pangha also described the junta’s plan to inaugurate Nguema as head of state on Monday as “absurd.” Bongo, who was elected in 2009, succeeded his late father, who came to power in 1967.

Critics argue that the family did little to distribute Gabon’s oil and mineral wealth.