The Parliament building in Gabon was reportedly set on fire and the country’s elections commission office attacked by supporters of the Opposition after authorities announced that incumbent President Ali Bongo had been re-elected to the post on Wednesday. The commission had announced that Bongo won Saturday’s elections by a margin of 49.80% votes against rival Jean Ping’s 48.23%, though opponents said the results had been fudged in his home province, The Guardian reported.
This means Bongo will be in power for the next seven years, extending the rule of his family to nearly half a century. His father Omar Bongo was president for more than 40 years, and faced severe criticism for allegedly leading the country to economic ruin by mismanaging its oil reserves.
The police fired tear gas, and security forces reportedly shot three protestors dead as the violence grew around Libreville. Eyewitnesses said they saw flames rising from the National Assembly, and many residents said they had anticipated the clashes and stayed home.
The disputed province, Haut Ogooué, reported a turnout of 99.9% and Bongo won by 95% of the votes there. Foreign powers expressed concern about the results, with the United States commenting that there had been “many systemic deficiences and irregularities”, the Washington Post reported.
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