Meanwhile, the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, is closely monitoring the situation in Gabon, following the proclamation of the preliminary results of the August 27 presidential election.
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Gabon President Ali Bongo was declared the victor on Thursday of the contested polls which led to violence sweeping the capital as security forces stormed the opposition’s headquarters.
Reports say three people have been killed in the capital, Libreville.
Ban also called on the authorities to ensure that the national security forces exercise restraint in their response to protests, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
European Union election observers also said the election “lacked transparency”, with electoral bodies failing to release things like a list of polling stations or all registered voters.
Any appeal by Ping would be likely to focus on disputed results in one of the country’s nine provinces – the Haut-Ogooue, where Bongo won 95.5 percent of the vote.
Security forces clashed with protestors in the streets of Libreville on Wednesday, soon after the electoral commission CENAP announced the results.
“This is just a outcome of the current situation”.
But by mid-morning, security forces had sealed off the city center, which was calm and otherwise deserted, with troops, police and anti-riot squads patrolling the streets.
Libreville residents said internet access was cut on Thursday but social networks including Twitter and Facebook stopped functioning overnight. Earlier in the week, customs officials seized satellite telephones they said had been imported illegally.
The European Union on Thursday (Sept 1) for all sides in Gabon to reject violence as the country descended into chaos after President Ali Bongo was declared victor of disputed polls.
“I know who won and who lost”, Bongo told reporters on Thursday.
During the meeting, Bathily told the council that he was “hopeful” that tensions could be eased in Gabon, which has been ruled by the Bongo family for nearly 50 years.
The opposition accused the government of rigging the presidential election.
The election result, announced on Wednesday afternoon, gave Bongo a second seven-year term with 49.8 percent of the vote to Ping’s 48.2 percent – a margin of 5,594 votes.
Bongo took power in 2009 in a violence-marred election that followed the death of his father Omar Bongo, who had governed the oil-rich former French colony for 41 years. He benefited from being the incumbent in a country with a patronage system lubricated by oil largesse.
Mr Ping had been a close ally of Omar Bongo, serving him in ministerial roles and having two children with his daughter, Pascaline, a former Gabonese foreign minister.
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Bongo, whose family has ruled the country for almost 50 years, polled 49.80 percent of the vote; his main rival Jean Ping, the opposition candidate, garnered 48.23 percent.
