PHOTOS: Gabon Parliament Set Ablaze After President Bongo Was Declared Winner

Violence have erupted in parts of Gabon as angry protesters torched the country's parliament house on Wednesday after President Ali Bongo was declared winner of a very tight election.

The president, who is believed to be a Nigerian that was adopted during the Biafra war, had claimed that the election was "peaceful and transparent", but the opposition said it was fraudulent.

It only took a few minutes for the announcement to sink in before several poorer neighbourhoods in Libreville erupted in anger, with people taking to the streets to express their fury.

According to official results made public shortly after 1500 GMT, Bongo won the 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.

By nightfall, protesters vented their fury by setting fire to the parliament building, sending skyward a plume of flame and black smoke, witnesses and AFP correspondents confirmed.

Officially, the results will remain "provisional" until they are approved by the constitutional court.