Skip to main content

Gabon election: Jean Ping takes Ali Bongo to court

Image
By


Gabon's opposition leader has lodged a challenge to the presidential election result at the constitutional court.

Defeated presidential candidate Jean Ping has complained of fraud, pointing out that in one province incumbent Ali Bongo won 95% of the vote.

Former African Union chair Mr Ping lost the election by less than 6,000 votes.

The European Union has said there were "clear anomalies" in last month's poll - charges denied by Mr Bongo, who in turn accused Mr Ping of fraud.

The official election result, announced on 31 August, gave Mr Bongo a second seven-year term with 49.8% of the vote to Mr Ping's 48.2%.

Mr Ping criticised results in Mr Bongo's home province of Haut-Ogooue, where turnout was 99.93% and 95% of votes were for the president.

Turnout in the other provinces was between 45% and 71%, according to Gabon's interior ministry.

On Monday Gabonese Justice Minister Seraphim Moundounga resigned in protest.

The EU has also questioned the legitimacy of the election results.

But Mr Bongo retaliated, telling France's RTL radio "some of the EU observers overstepped their mission".

When the election results were announced people took to the street in protest.

The Gabonese authorities say three people have died and 105 have been injured following violent clashes and more than 800 arrests.

Mr Ping puts the death toll higher - saying dozens of his supporters have been killed and that a presidential guard helicopter bombed his headquarters.

Gabon election: Bongo v Ping

-Mr Bongo took office in 2009 after an election marred by violence

-He succeeding his father Omar Bongo who had come to power in 1967 and was Africa's longest serving leader

-Veteran diplomat Mr Ping had served as chair of the African Union

-He had been a close ally of Omar Bongo and had been his foreign minister

-He had two children with Omar Bongo's daughter, Pascaline

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Post

Buhari tells Nigerians to change for a better future

By
President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday set out his vision for a better Nigeria, imagining an incorruptible paradise where drivers don’t run red lights and internet scams are a thing of the past. In Buhari’s Nigeria, police turn down bribes from rich men driving SUVs, militants in the oil-rich Niger delta lay down their arms, rubbish is thrown in bins, not the street, and workers are on time. “I won’t sell my body for marks,” a student is quoted as saying in a promotional video to launch the initiative before a gathering of high-profile politicians in the presidential villa in Abuja. “I no go do yahoo yahoo or 419 again,” says another in pidgin English, referring to the online scams originating from Nigeria that have snared victims around the world. The “re-orientation campaign” conjures up images of social engineering and Big Brother-style state control but Buhari maintained it was first and foremost about a change in “mindset”. “We must resist the temptation to fall bac...
Post a Comment
Read more

Eating a combination of chilli and ginger could help prevent cancer

By
Past studies have suggested that capsaicin (an active component of chili peppers) may cause cancer. But in a new evidence by scientists, it was observed that the spicy compound in ginger, 6-gingerol, could counter the harmful effects of capsaicin. Researchers at the American Chemical Society, Washington DC, USA found out that eating chilli and ginger together could help prevent cancer. The compounds in ginger and chilli – capsaicin and 6-gingerol –bind to the same receptor on cells. They fed mice prone to lung cancer either capsaicin or 6-gingerol, or a combination of the two compounds. Mice fed with just capsaicin alone developed lung tumours, while those fed with 6-gingerol also had the disease. Interestingly, a large part of mice fed with both capsaicin and 6-gingerol didn’t develop lung cancer. Scientists are, however, optimistic that future studies will focus more on how exactly the compounds interact to help reduce cancer risk.
Post a Comment
Read more

Meet Ime Archibong; the Nigerian who runs things @Facebook

By
Looking at Facebook’s Director of Strategic Partnerships, Ime Archibong, one sees the figure of a Hollywood honcho; the type who keeps you glued to the tube in a box office thriller-crime movie. With his huge, tall frame sitting on a well built macho body, Archibong could have passed for another Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallion of Rambo fame. The difference, however, is that Archibong plies his trade in Silicon Valley and not in Hollywood. He directs activities at Facebook and not on a movie set. He leads the team focused on accelerating Facebook’s product strategy by establishing partnerships, driving product integrations and unlocking new business opportunities with leading companies across multiple industries and sectors. Call him Zuckerberg’s deputy and you would not be far from the truth, because they seem to be Siamese twins in fashioning new ideas that have transformed Facebook into something much more than a social media initiative. The fact that they are ...
Post a Comment
Read more