Gabon Opposition Chief Claims Election Victory

LIBREVILLE, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News -29th Augst,2016) - Gabon's main opposition candidate Jean Ping has claimed victory in weekend presidential polls, but incumbent Ali Bongo's camp said the call was "dangerous and illegal" before official results. The official tally of votes will not be published until Tuesday and some voters voiced fears of a repeat of the violence seen after a disputed 2009 election. "I have been elected.

I am waiting for the outgoing president to call to congratulate me," Ping, 73, said on Sunday in the capital Libreville, prompting jubilation from hundreds of his supporters.

Bongo's spokesman however said the announcement was "dangerous", while his Interior Minister Pacome Moubelet Boubeya warned it was "illegal to declare results before the relevant authorities". "We respect the law...

so we are waiting calmly for Cenap (the national election commission) to announce the results of the election," Bongo told supporters in his first public remarks since Saturday's poll.