Libreville, Gabon — Six hundred thousands voters, in the oil-rich West African republic of Gabon, went to the polls, Sunday, to elect 120 deputies to represent them in the new legislative term, chosen from a list of 800 candidates.

Voting conditions varied sharply, according to region.

In the capital, Libreville, the poll was conducted in relative calm, despite delays and snags reported at some polling stations.

Mid-afternoon, the Oulabou centre, in the Jean Paul 2 District, stronghold of Father Paul Mba, Mayor of the city and President of the opposition Rassemblement Nationale des Bucherons- Rassemblement pour le Gabon (RNB-RPG), the atmosphere was relaxed, despite the presence of security forces wearing military fatigues and armed with batons, tear-gas and assault rifles.

But there were serious problems in the provinces of Moabi, Ndende and Mbigou where opposition elements had called for a boycott. Some voting materials were stolen, while, elsewhere, polling stations were burned down. There were reports of violence in some remote regions, according to the government-owned newspaper, L'Union, but without any mention of casualties.

The results of the first round, supervised by the African Union and the Agence de la Francophonie, will not be known before Monday night. However, with a very poor turnout, estimated between 28% and 30%, most observers of the domestic political scene predict victory for the Parti Démocratique du Gabon (PDG), led by President El Hadj Omar Bongo, in power since 1967.

The Chairman of the National Electoral Commission, Gilbert Ngoulakia, has warned that "the problems encountered do not undermine the credibility of the results we will receive."