Asked in a pre-recorded interview broadcast on Wednesday whether he would permit a recount, Bongo told France’s RTL radio: “What people should be asking me to do is apply the law”. Human rights groups say the true toll could be… “That’s what I am expecting”. On Tuesday, the African Union said it was ready to send a high-level delegation to Libreville to mediate. His claim could not be independently verified.
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Ping, a former diplomat, has said he has no faith in the constitutional court because of its alleged ties to the Bongo family and said in his interview with Reuters late on Tuesday that a recount under global supervision should be conducted first. “We want democracy and peace to triumph”. Ping has also called for a general strike.
Parliament resumed on Tuesday, with lawmakers gathering in the Senate building looking sombre.
Thousands of protesters poured onto the streets of the capital Libreville, accusing the governmment of stealing the election.
United Nations human rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said on Tuesday that the agency was following the situation with “increased concern”.
The AFP news agency says post-election chaos has claimed at least six lives in Gabon, ruled by the Bongo family since 1967. He was elected in 2009 after the death of his father, longtime ruler Omar Bongo, and protests followed.
One of their main complaints is that Gabon’s ample oil wealth has not been shared fairly among the population.
The European Union has questioned the validity of the result and France has said a recount would be wise. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls called for a recount [RFI report] on Tuesday and for information concerning 15 French nationals that went missing after the protests.
Ping, also speaking to Europe-1, dismissed the accusations and called for global help in determining “the truth”.
France has in the past intervened in its former African colonies, such as when it helped oust Ivory Coast’s then president Laurent Gbagbo in 2011 after he refused to concede defeat in an election.
But it has ruled out intervention in Gabon where it has a military base.
Bongo has ducked calls for a recount, saying that only the Constitutional Court could order a repeat count.
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The opposition has bitterly contested the vote in Haut-Ogooue, where official results showed turnout at more than 99 percent with 95 percent voting for Bongo.
