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31.08.2009 Africa

Voting Ends In Gabon

By Daily Guide
Ali Ben BongoAli Ben Bongo
31.08.2009 LISTEN

Voters in Gabon turned out in large numbers on Sunday to elect a successor to long-time leader Omar Bongo, and the late president's son was tipped to take power in the central African oil producer.

, defense minister in his father's government, had looked to be cruising to victory after a well-funded election campaign. But he faced a growing last-minute challenge after five candidates withdrew in favor of a leading rival.

"There is a mounting groundswell of opposition against frontrunner Ali Ben, which he will have to contend with if he does eventually come to power," IHS Global Insight analyst Kissy Agyeman-Togobo said.

Polling closed at 6.00 pm (1700 GMT), with an official projection possible late on Sunday and official results expected on Monday or Tuesday.

There was no official turnout figure but witnesses said polling was brisker than at the last election in 2005, with some voters making their way to polling stations well before dawn -- only to experience hours of delay before casting their vote.

"We arrived here and the voting urns weren't in place. We had to put together the polling booth ourselves," said Danniel Adamdi, a Libreville resident in his late 20s, at one of several polling stations where voting was delayed.

One candidate, ex-Prime Minister Casimir Oye Mba, pulled out late on Friday, saying the election's credibility was in doubt, but a top international observer said procedures looked acceptable despite the delays.

"Broadly speaking it started very well," Daniel-Franck Idiata, president of the committee overseeing the observer mission, told reporters.

BORDERS CLOSED
Investors are banking on a Ben Bongo win and play down the risk of unrest. But there have been widespread accusations among the candidates of rigging and some analysts fear tensions could spill over as results start coming in from Monday onwards.

Omar Bongo died in June after keeping a tight grip on power and using petro-dollars from sub-Saharan Africa's fifth largest producer to subdue ethnic tension in the country of 1.5 million, home to investors like France's Total and Britain's Tullow Oil. AP

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