Share

Gabon ruling party wins first round of parliamentary vote

Gabon's ruling party won just over half of the parliamentary seats in the first round of legislative elections in a vote marred by low turnout, the elections committee said.

Headed by President Ali Bongo, the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) won 74 of the 143 seats in long-delayed parliamentary elections.

But turnout was low, with just over 58% of voters casting their ballots across the nation, an election committee statement said.

And in Estuaire, the most populous of Gabon's nine provinces which is home to more than half the population, turnout stood at just 28.50%.

Campaigning for the second round began on Saturday with the vote to be held in 61 constituencies on October 27.

The figures were slightly lower than an initial estimate by Bongo's spokesperson ast week, in which he said the party had won 80 seats, describing it as "a landslide" victory.

The October 6 vote, which also included municipal polls, was the first election since a presidential race two years ago which was marred by deadly violence and fraud allegations.

Gabon has been ruled by the same political dynasty for nearly half a century.

By contrast, last week's election went off peacefully although a local town hall was set alight several hours after the vote.

African Union observers described the running of the election as "satisfactory" and without irregularities, but three civil society organisations complained that there had been attempts to buy votes.

* Sign up to News24's top Africa news in your inbox: SUBSCRIBE TO THE HELLO AFRICA NEWSLETTER

FOLLOW News24 Africa on Twitter and Facebook

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
42% - 384 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
58% - 524 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.94
-0.2%
Rand - Pound
23.90
-0.0%
Rand - Euro
20.43
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.34
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.2%
Platinum
910.50
+1.5%
Palladium
1,016.25
+1.4%
Gold
2,220.89
+1.2%
Silver
24.88
+1.0%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,346
+1.0%
All Share
74,536
+0.8%
Resource 10
57,251
+2.8%
Industrial 25
103,936
+0.6%
Financial 15
16,502
-0.1%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE