Gabon's president, main opposition candidate upbeat on electoral victory

Gabon President Ali Bongo Ondimba on Sunday said he was "confident of his victory" after Saturday's presidential elections in which he contested against nine other candidates.

Bongo's announcement came just a few hours after his main rival Jean Ping had made similar assertions at a press conference held at his campaign headquarters in Libreville.

"We are waiting calmly, but we are confident," the incumbent president said. "And I want to say a big thank you to everyone who contributed to my electoral campaign. Keep your heads up and remain hopeful, big news awaits us," he added.

A few hours before the president spoke in Libreville, his main rival, Ping, came close to declaring himself the winner.

Ping affirmed that election results compiled by his team showed he was the winner of the presidential elections.

According to the National Autonomous and Permanent Electoral Commission, official results will be released latest by Tuesday evening. Endit