Gabon votes for first time since violence-marred 2016 election

LIBREVILLE: Oil-rich Gabon, ruled by the same political dynasty for nearly half a century, started voting Saturday in long-delayed legislative and municipal polls, the first since a presidential election two years ago that was marred by deadly violence and allegations of fraud. A divided opposition is unlikely to mount a successful challenge to President Ali Bongo's ruling Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG), opinion polls suggest. His key rival, Jean Ping, is boycotting the election, but most other opposition groups entered the contest in the oil-rich West African country. Posters dotted the capital Libreville asking the country's 680,000 voters to turn up to elect 143 new MPs as well as other local officials. The Bongo family has ruled Gabon for close to half a century and his controversial re-election in August 2016 by just a few thousand votes led Ping to claim that victory had been stolen from him. Violence broke out and dozens of people were killed, according to the opposition, but the government says only four died. Ping's headquarters was bombed and the opposition also claimed that widespread human rights abuses were committed by armed militias that took to the streets. Before Saturday's election that has been pushed back three times since 2016, the campaign was low key. But on Saturday, some opposition candidates were pointing to alleged irregularities, saying that voting papers had gone missing, there had been attempts to buy votes, and their representatives had been denied access. 'TORN BY CRISIS'

Political divisions run deep in the equatorial African nation, ruled by Omar Bongo since 1967 and by his son Ali after Bongo's death in 2009. And Gabon's oil-dependent economy has been hit by falling crude prices.
After long delays, voters in Gabon head to the polls for the first time since the controversial 2016 presidential election.