Brazzaville partly shut to protest poll fraud

Opposition strongholds in Brazzaville were closed on Tuesday following a strike call over the re-election of Congo's veteran ruler Denis Sassou Nguesso in polls his rivals say were marred by "massive fraud".

Sand diggers loading trucks at a quarry on the banks of the Congo river

Sassou Nguesso was declared the winner of the March 20 election, extending his 32 years in power in a result which has been challenged by five defeated opposition candidates. He got a first-round win with 60% of the vote, according to the disputed official result.

Southern districts of the Congolese capital were deserted on Tuesday, including Total, the city's biggest market where the array of goods ranges from electronic appliances to caterpillars - a local delicacy.

But on the fringes of the market, hundreds of women vendors ringed the pavements selling vegetables, fruit and soap. The strike call was issued by runner-up Guy-Brice Parfait Kolelas who received more than 15% of the votes, third-place candidate Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko who polled nearly 14%, and three others: Claudine Munari, Andre Okombi Salissa and Pascal Tsaty Mabiala.

They called for a repeat of the "ville morte" (dead city) national strikes which have taken place in recent months to protest Sassou Nguesso's controversial bid for a third term.

The oil- and timber-rich Republic of Congo has been on edge since an October constitutional referendum that ended a two-term limit on presidential mandates, allowing Sassou Nguesso, a 72-year-old former paratrooper colonel, to run again.

Critics accuse him of rampant corruption and nepotism, blasting the referendum result as a "constitutional coup".