Elected president Ali Bongo received 49.8 percent of the vote against 48.23 percent for rival Jean Ping.
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Even after the vote result in the other provinces had been settled, electoral commission members fiercely debated the count for Haut-Ogooue, the heartland of Bongo’s Teke ethnic group, before the incumbent was declared the victor on Wednesday.
Election monitors have focused on Haut-Ogooue, a Bongo stronghold, where official figures showed he won 95.46 percent of the vote on a 99.9 percent turnout. The EU noted that such a number means only 47 people in the area would not have voted.
“An analysis of the number of non-voters as well as blank and disqualified votes reveals a clear anomaly in the final results in Haut-Ogooue”, Mariya Gabriel, the head of the European Union observing mission in Gabon, said in a statement on Tuesday.
He also said the country’s authorities have not heard from several French citizens in Gabon in the last few days, adding that the country is concerned.
One of their main complaints is that Gabon’s ample oil wealth has not been shared fairly among the population.
The government has dismissed all calls to publish more detailed results, prompting the justice minister to resign.
It is hard to independently verify reports of deaths, as the internet has been shut off since August 31.
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. He also called for the release of results from individual polling stations.
Justice Minister Seraphin Moundounga said he made the decision in the face of the government of President Ali Bongo Ondimba’s “stubborn refusal” to recount the vote. The African Union has offered to help find a solution to the crisis.
Ping, a former diplomat and African Union Commission chairman, told Paris-based television news channel France24 on Tuesday that 50 to 100 people had been killed since last week.
“It is clear that the government is hiding the true toll”, Ntoutoume Ayi said.
Opposition anger at Bongo’s re-election boiled over into riots in the capital, Libreville, and other towns, killing six people, according to the government.
In 2009, Bongo was declared victor of the presidential election following the death of his father, Omar, who had ruled the tiny oil-rich state for 41 years.
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Petesch reported from Dakar, Senegal.
