/ 18 September 2009

Gabon opposition challenges poll result

Opposition candidates defeated in last month’s disputed Gabon presidential election say they are challenging the results in court.

More than two dozen opposition candidates issued a statement on Thursday saying their experts had reviewed the results and found ”grave irregularities and fraud” in the vote tallies issued by two-thirds of the country’s polling stations.

Opposition spokesperson Jean Eyeghe Ndong read a statement saying the opposition ”is waiting for the Constitutional Court to tell the truth about the results of this presidential election”.

Ali Bongo, the son of Gabon’s long-ruling dictator Omar Bongo, was declared winner of the August 30 poll with 41,7% of the vote. His win sparked a fury of protest with angry voters torching dozens of businesses, several markets and a police station. — Sapa-AP