Bongo sweeps Gabon election, opposition reject vote

LIBREVILLE (Reuters) - Gabon President Ali Bongo's ruling coalition took 95 percent of seats in a parliamentary election, strengthening his hand in the central African oil-producing nation but sparking opposition accusations of fraud.

Bongo's ruling PDG party took 113 of the parliament's 120 seats, while the allied PGCI party took one seat, according to results issued late on Wednesday by Gabon's government. Opposition parties took the remaining six seats.

Interior Minister Jean Francois Ndongou said on Thursday the election results were credible despite a boycott by other opposition parties.

"The turnout (for parliamentary elections) has been roughly the same since 1996. We never break 40 percent for legislative and local elections," he said. "These elections were perfectly normal," he added.

Turnout was 34 percent, just off the 36 percent during 2006 legislative elections, according to the results.

Opposition parties and some civil society groups had called for a boycott of the polls after the government rejected their request to introduce biometric voter cards and registration to reduce the chances of fraud.

"These results ... reinforce what we've been telling the international community since Ali Bongo's coup election in August 2009, which is that Gabon is sliding into dictatorship," said Jean Eyeghe Ndong, a former Gabon vice president and current opposition leader.

Gabon's ruling party had already enjoyed a comfortable majority in the national assembly with 93 seats, but the increased majority could help Bongo push through his 'Gabon Emerging' plan to expand and diversify its economy.

The African Union on Tuesday praised the December 17 legislative vote, Gabon's first since Bongo took over from his late father in 2009, saying the process was credible and peaceful despite some irregularities.

Analysts said Gabon's Eurobond, was unlikely to react to the legislative elections because the bond is much more sensitive to global risk than domestic political issues.