Observers said poll “free and fair”

The Gabonese government newspaper ‘L’Union’, quoted by AFP, said today incumbent President Omar Bongo of Gabon had won the first round of Sunday’s presidential elections. But AFP and other sources said the results announced on radio and television were too partial to determine a winner at this stage. The provisional results show Bongo leading with more than 60 percent in six districts in Libreville. But all results have to be confirmed by the electoral commission and it is unclear when it will officially announce the outcome. The Paris-based organisation Francophonie said in a statement received by IRIN that the elections had been held in a calm atmosphere and the Gabonese people had showed their political “maturity”. It nevertheless noted some irregularities. An international group monitoring the elections, the Groupe d’Etudes et de Recherche pour la democratie et le developpement en Afrique (GERDDES-Afrique), quoted by AFP, said the elections must be considered “free, fair and open”. The group noted some shortcomings during the electoral process and recommended “improvements to the electoral roll and better training for election officials”.