Constitutional Court in Gabon Upholds Ali Bongo Ondimba’s Disputed Re-election

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/24/world/africa/gabon-ali-bongo-ondimba.html

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LIBREVILLE, Gabon — Gabon’s constitutional court on Saturday upheld President Ali Bongo Ondimba’s victory last month in a disputed election, raising fears of continued unrest as the Bongo family extends its political dynasty of nearly half a century in Gabon.

The announcement read by the court’s president, Marie-Madeleine Mborantsuo, put an end to the legal challenges available to the opposition candidate, Jean Ping. Mr. Ping had sought a recount of the votes after provisional results showed him losing by less than two percentage points.

The court’s announcement indicated that Mr. Bongo’s margin of victory was in fact larger than previously announced — 50 percent of the vote, up from the provisional result of 49 percent.

“I will make this victory one for all Gabonese,” Mr. Bongo said in a statement posted on his Twitter account.

Mr. Ping and his supporters had accused Mr. Bongo of vote-rigging, and the European Union also expressed concern about some of the results. European Union observers said they did not have full access to all districts in Haut-Ogooué Province, where 95 percent of voters were reported to have supported Mr. Bongo.

The constitutional court rejected those arguments, saying that the claims did not change the fundamental outcome of the election.

Tensions have increased in the weeks since the Aug. 27 vote, and it remained unclear whether Mr. Ping’s supporters would accept the court’s ruling. The opposition says as many as 100 people have been killed, and 1,200 people have been detained by the authorities.

Mr. Bongo has been in power since 2009, when his father, Omar Bongo, died after holding the presidency for 42 years. Omar Bongo was accused of siphoning off a huge fortune for himself and his family from the country’s oil profits. Critics said the money was used to buy dozens of homes in France and for other luxury purchases.