Gabon parliament set ablaze after Bongo declared winner

Angry protesters torched Gabon's parliament Wednesday after President Ali Bongo was declared winner of what he claimed was a "peaceful and transparent" election, but which the opposition said was fraudulent. It only took a few minutes for the announcement to sink in before several of Libreville's poorer neighbourhoods erupted in anger, with thousands of people taking to the streets to express their fury. According to official results made public shortly after 1500 GMT, Bongo won Saturday's presidential poll by just 5,594 votes, taking 49.80 percent to 48.23 percent for his rival Jean Ping, a veteran diplomat and former top African Union official.