Skip to main content

Gabon justice minister resigns over Bongo re-election





Seraphin Moundounga resigns over government's failure to organise recount as President Bongo's win touches off riots.

Gabon's justice minister has resigned in protest over the re-election of President Ali Bongo, which has prompted accusations of fraud and street riots that have killed at least six people.

Bongo has claimed victory by a slender margin of around 6,000 votes, but opposition leader Jean Ping has called a general strike in response to what he says is a fraudulent re-election.

Seraphin Moundounga resigned on Monday over the government's failure to organise a recount.

"Having noticed that the government was not responding to concerns about the need for peace and for the consolidation of democracy, I decided to ... step down from my functions as a member of government," Moundounga told Radio France Internationale.

France had joined the EU and the US in calling for the results to be published according to each polling station but, until now, had stopped short of demanding a recount.

Al Jazeera's Catherine Soi, reporting from the capital, Libreville, said that government officials tried to downplay Moundounga's resignation.

"They say that the former minister, of all people, should know ...  that the law says that aggrieved party ... needs to go to the Constitutional Court, file a petition, and only the Constitutional Court can order a recount." 

Al jazeera's correspondent added,  that the resignation was "very embarassing to the government" and "a significant blow" to Bongo.
"This was a powerful minister who held a very powerful docket," Soi said.
Hundreds of people have been arrested in recent days in the capital Libreville [AFP]
Ping, a veteran diplomat, called for the general strike to force "the tyrant" out.

"We cannot accept that our people will be killed like animals without reacting," Ping wrote on Facebook.

"I propose to cease all activity and begin a general strike. We must use all means of resistance to topple this tyrant and believe me, he is on the verge of falling."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Arsenal’s Wenger concerned by Chinese spending power

Arsene Wenger fears the huge wages being offered by big-spending Chinese clubs could cause problems when the Premier League teams look to negotiate new contracts with their star players.  Wenger is currently locked in talks with Arsenal duo Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez as the pair reportedly seek parity with the best-paid players in the Premier League. The Arsenal manager is hoping for successful resolutions to those contract stand-offs, but he believes the money on offer in the China Super League may persuade the Premier League’s star names to ask for even bigger pay packets to stay in England. Chelsea striker Diego Costa has been linked with a move to China, with an offer of £600,000-per-week ($739,000) reportedly on the table for the Spain international. Two of his former Chelsea team-mates, Oscar and John Obi Mikel, have already moved to Super League outfits, while former Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez became the highest-earning player in the world when h...
Post a Comment
Read more

Return Nigeria’s Stolen Assets, SERAP Urges Trump

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the President of the United States of America (USA), Donald Trump, to attach and release to Nigeria, some $500 million worth of US-based proceeds of corruption traced to former Nigerian dictator, late General Sani Abacha. SERAP, which made this request in an open letter it send to the US President, also urged President Trump to initiate discussions with the Nigerian government to fulfill these objectives within an agreed framework and timeline. The organisation in the letter dated 3 February 2017 and signed by the organization’s US Volunteer Counsel Professor Alexander W. Sierck and executive director Adetokunbo Mumuni, also wants the Trump’s Administration to instruct the Justice Department to initiate civil asset forfeiture proceedings in regard to the $500 million in assets. SERAP further stated, “these proceeds are separate from the $480 million of Abacha-origin funds that have been forfeited to the US...
Post a Comment
Read more

Record signing, Oscar lands in Shanghai to join SIPG

 Brazilian midfielder Oscar landed in Shanghai on Monday where the 25-year-old was set to smash the Asian transfer record with a reported 60 million euros ($63 million) deal with Shanghai SIPG. Dozens of supporters chanting club songs swarmed the former Chelsea player at the city’s Pudong airport. Oscar’s arrival in the Chinese Super League comes ahead of that of Argentina’s former Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez, who signed for Shanghai Shenhua in another big-money deal last week.  Tevez’s transfer fee was 10.5 million euros, according to the website transfermarkt.com, which tracks dealings in the sport, though the reported two-year contract of 38 million euros per season ($40 million) makes him the world’s highest salaried footballer. SIPG’s general manager on Monday dismissed concerns raised by state media of a market bubble in the super-rich Chinese league, arguing prices have to be higher to attract players away from big European leagues. “The leagu...
Post a Comment
Read more