Gabon’s justice minister has resigned in protest over the re-election of President Ali Bongo, which has prompted accusations of fraud and street riots that have killed at least six people.
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Gabon’s parliament on Tuesday held its first session since the disputed August 27 poll that saw president Ali Bongo reelected by a razor-thin margin.
Bongo has claimed victory by a slender margin of around 6,000 votes, but opposition leader Jean Ping has called a general strike in response to what he says is a fraudulent re-election.
Opposition leader Jean Ping, who has said the election was stolen, called on Tuesday for help from the global community. Opposition supporters have claimed fraud, and Ping declared himself the rightful victor.
Ping has said 50 to 100 people were killed in protests that followed; the government said just three died. There was no independent confirmation of the figure.
According to the electoral commission, there was a 99.93 percent turnout in that province, with 95 percent voting in favor of Bongo.
A government spokesman told Reuters he would not comment on the European Union statement until Wednesday.
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 worldwide supervision should be conducted first.
Ping, a former diplomat and African Union Commission chairman, said he had been told the delegation would arrive on Thursday.
The opposition can launch an appeal for a recount through the Constitutional Court, although it has not yet indicated it would do so.
Manuel Valls, prime minister of former colonial power France, has said it would be “wise” to do a recount.
Bongo is under increasing pressure at home and overseas after Justice Minister Seraphin Moundounga resigned on Monday demanding a recount “polling station by polling station”.
A main opposition complaint is that Gabon’s oil wealth has not been shared fairly among its 1.8 million population.
Authorities appeared to have restored order in Libreville on Tuesday, and shopkeepers and government workers returned to their jobs despite Ping’s earlier call for a mass walkout.
France has in the past intervened in its former African colonies, such as when it helped oust Cote d’Ivoire’s then-president, Laurent Gbagbo, in 2011 after he refused to concede defeat in an election.
France has a military base in Gabon but relations have soured recently. The opposition says the death toll is much higher.
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United Nations human rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said on Tuesday the organisation was following the situation in Gabon with “increased concern”.
