Presidential elections were held in Gabon on 27 August 2016. Incumbent President Ali Bongo Ondimba ran for re-election and was challenged by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean Ping. On 31 August, the electoral commission proclaimed Bongo's re-election with a margin of less than two percent. Large protests broke out in the capital Libreville after the results were announced. Numerous irregularities and the official results from Haut-Ogooue (the Bongo family's native province) showing that 99.9% of the electorate had voted and Bongo had received 95.5% of the votes led observers to question the impartiality of the electoral commission.