Libreville — Initial results from Sunday's legislative election, released Tuesday by the National Electoral Commission, have given the ruling Parti Démocratique Gabonais (PDG) a clear victory.

With 56 PDG deputies elected in the first round, President Omar Bongo's party has come close to securing an absolute majority in the National Assembly. Several PDG candidates who did not achieve outright victory in their constituencies face an easy run-off, scheduled for 23rd December. According to a local journalist, the ruling party is already set "to impose its will in the next round".

As early as Sunday evening, several important opposition figures were said to have been defeated. In particular, Father Mba Abessole, leader of the Rassemblement Nationale des Bucherons-Rassemblement pour le Gabon (RNB-RPG) and mayor of the capital, Libreville, must face a run-off against his PDG opponent.

Abessole and Pierre Mamboundo, leader of the Union du Peuple Gabonais (UPG), have both called for Sunday's poll to be cancelled after reports of serious irregularities and violence during the vote, and because of the low turnout. Only 28% of the 600, 000 registered voters cast their vote, Sunday.

Three days later, the poor participation - the lowest in the country's political history - remains the main topic of discussion here. And yet, said a member of the National Electoral Commission, "we did everything we could to make sure the vote was well-organized and the turnout massive".

Meanwhile, the nation awaits the announcement of the complete initial results which, according to the country's constitution, must be endorsed by the Constitutional Court.