The constitutional court of Gabon has upheld President Ali Bongo’s election, while dismissing opposition calls for a recount.
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Opposition leader Jean Ping on Saturday lashed a decision by Gabon’s top court to validate President Ali Bongo’s re-election, as police and troops patrolled the deserted streets of Libreville to prevent a new flareup of violence. “As president clearly elected by the Gabonese people, I remain at your side to defend your vote and your sovereignty”, Ping said.
He had sought a recount of the votes after provisional results showed him losing by less than 2 percentage points.
But the court threw out copies of tally sheets that Mr Ping had presented as evidence, saying they had not been verified.
The 57-year-old victor, however, appealed for “political dialogue” with the opposition groups to stem any potential unrest triggered after the court announcement.
“We are confident of the victory of our candidate”, said the party’s secretary-general, Faustin Boukoubi. The government has said it detained more than 1,200.
“I look forward to inviting members of all political parties to join our efforts and come with us to the cabinet”.
“We don’t need worldwide mediation”.
“We will ensure the choice of the Gabonese people is respected”.
Following the chaos, the European Union and Western countries, including the U.S. and France, urged calm and called on authorities in the former French colony to show more transparency about the election results.
The Constitutional Court has until Friday to decide on his complaint, but the authorities are already stepping up security in the capital Libreville, the epicenter of the violence.
Ping’s supporters say “more than 50” people were killed in post-electoral violence but the interior ministry has put the toll at three dead.
In his petition to the court, Ping alleged fraud in Haut-Ogooue province, where Bongo won 95 percent on a turnout of 99.9 percent.
Gabon’s Constitutional Court has rejected the African Union’s (AU) proposed observer mission to the central African nation as it prepares to deliver a verdict on the contentious presidential elections of August 27.
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“But it’s also interesting to note that the judge, despite confirming Bongo as the victor, said there were irregularities in voting counts in both camps, suggesting that both cheated during the election”.
