New York  - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday called on political leaders in Gabon to exercise restraint as tensions increased after election results gave the presidency to Ali- Ben Bongo, son of the country's former leader.

Ban expressed concern over reports of disturbances in some of Gabon's regions, calling for calm and restraint "so that tensions do not escalate."

He called on "the Gabonese political leaders to refrain from any action which could jeopardize the peaceful conclusion of the electoral process."

All presidential candidates and supporters should resolve dispute related to the presidential elections through legal and institutional channels, he said. He said complaints should be reviewed and resolved in a fair and transparent manner.

News reports from Libreville said the government there declared Ali-Ben Bongo the winner in the hotly contested elections held on Sunday. His father had ruled the small West African nation for more than 41 years.  dpa