“Based on almost all the affidavits … we are able to affirm that I am the victor of the presidential vote”, Ping said.
Advertisement
Observers from the African Union and European Union have said that aside from some delays, the poll itself, in which some 628,000 people were eligible to vote, passed off without serious incident.
Presidential candidate Jean Ping, seen here arriving at the Martine Oulabou school in Libreville to cast his vote on Saturday, has claimed victory.
“If Bongo wants to hold on to power he has the machine that will allow him to do so”, said Ba, explaining that the country’s electoral commission is not entirely independent, and the constitutional court, which would adjudicate challenges to the result, is made up of judged appointed by Bongo. Voting was scheduled to end at 6 p.m., though polling stations that opened late could remain open to accommodate voters waiting in line, according to an announcement by Rene Aboghe Ella, president of the electoral commission.
Except for crowds outside polling stations, the streets of the capital, Libreville, were largely deserted Saturday.
Both of the two frontrunners had already predicted their own victory and accused the other of cheating.
Until recently, Bongo was the clear favourite, with the opposition split and several prominent politicians vying for the top job.
In a surprise announcement, two prominent opposition candidates said this month they had chose to throw their weight behind Ping.
The campaign period has been acrimonious, marked by months of bitter exchanges between the two main camps, including accusations, and strenuous denials, that Bongo was born in Nigeria and therefore ineligible to run.
His extravagant campaign was based around the slogan “Let’s change together”, playing up the roads and hospitals built during his first term. Ali Bongo succeeded his father Omar Bongo who died in 2009 after more than four decades in office.
On Sunday, the streets of Libreville were nearly deserted.
Gabon is a major oil producer, but still has high levels of poverty.
The oil-dependent economy is also under pressure because of depressed crude oil prices worldwide, and public servants have gone on strike in recent months over unpaid salaries.
Back then, several people were killed in the clashes, buildings were looted and the French consulate in Port Gentil, which saw the worst of the violence, was torched. On Monday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s spokesperson issued a statement urging political stakeholders in Gabon to “refrain from making remarks on the outcome of the election before it is known”.
Advertisement
Mr Ping, whose father was Chinese, also served as foreign minister for Omar Bongo – and has close links with family. He said he had told the American and French ambassadors in Libreville that he meant to guarantee the security of Bongo and his family.
