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Ali Bongo, new president of
Gabon and son of late President Omar Bongo Ondimba, delivers a speech
to the media in Libreville, August 3, 2009.
(Xinhua/Reuters
Photo)
Photo
Gallery>>> |
By Xie Meihua
LIBREVILLE, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Ali Bongo Ondimba,
the presidential candidate from the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party, was
declared the winner of the presidential election on Thursday. Opposition
supporters went on riot in protest of the publication.
The French consulate in the western city of
Port-Gentil was torched after the official results were announced. Demonstrators
in support of Opposition candidate Pierre Mamboundou also stormed the
Port-Gentil central prison setting free inmates.
The
rampage followed a clash between Mamboundou's supporters and police in the
capital Libreville on Wednesday night, when they assembled before the
headquarters of the electoral commission awaiting the results of Sunday's polls.
Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd.
The situation has been tense since Sunday with all
the three major contenders claiming victory and with their supporters gathering
in the city. A number of citizens have left Libreville in case of any riot.
The authorities have tightened security in
Libreville, where soldiers were seen patrolling and offices and businesses shut
down. The country closed its land and sea borders before kicking off the
election.
According to the final results released by the
Autonomous and Permanent National Electoral Commission, Ali Bongo garnered
41.73percent of the votes, followed by independent candidate Andre Mba Obame's
25.88 percent. Mamboundou secured only 25.22 percent.
Mamboundou vowed to reject the election results which
he said were rigged.
The election put to test the oil rich country of 1.5
million population after four decades of stability under the late President Omar
Bongo Ondimba, who died in June.
His eldest son, Ali Bongo, delivered a national
speech after the Interior Ministry announced the election results, promising
that he would be a president serving all the Gabonese.
He also pledged that he would do his best to improve
the living conditions of his countrymen. Ali Bongo's campaign focused on a
platform of peace, development and equality.
"We are going to jealously guard the peace which was
left behind by the late president Omar Bongo Ondimba while stressing on durable
development and the equitable distribution of resources to all the people," he
said.
His aspirations, among others, include education and
employment.
"Our duty will be to create jobs all over," he told
his supporters.
Under the Constitution of Gabon, the president is
elected to a seven-year term by popular vote.
Gabon is located in west central Africa, sharing
borders with the Gulf of Guinea to the west, Equatorial Guinea to the northwest,
and Cameroon to the north, with the Republic of the Congo curving around the
east and south.
With an area of almost 270,000 square km, Gabon is
divided into nine provinces and further into 37 departments.
Since its independence from France on Aug. 17, 1960,
the republic has been ruled by two presidents, Leon M'ba and Omar Bongo.
In the early 1990s, Gabon introduced a multi-party
system and anew democratic constitution that allowed for a more transparent
electoral process and reformed many governmental institutions.
The small population together with abundant natural
resources and foreign private investment have helped make Gabon one of the most
prosperous countries in the region, with a per capita income of four times the
average for Sub-Saharan Africa. This is in large part due to offshore oil
production.
With the country's oil reserves expected to run out
in 10 years, the new leader is facing challenges to diversify its
economy.
