Officials from Congo's Independent National Electoral Commission count presidential elections ballots at tallying centre in Kinshasa
07 January, 2019
Democratic Republic of Congo officials on Saturday delayed the announcement of preliminary results from a crucial presidential election, amid growing pressure from world powers and the influential Catholic church to respect voters’ wishes.
Preliminary results, scheduled for release Sunday, will now come out this week, the head of the country’s electoral commission CENI told AFP just hours before the deadline.
“It is not possible to publish the results on Sunday. We are making progress, but we do not have everything yet,” Corneille Nangaa said, without announcing a new date.
The country’s powerful National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO), which represents the country’s Catholic bishops, warned that popular anger could result in the event the final results were not “true to the verdict of the ballot box.”
Democratic Republic of Congo’s powerful Catholic Church, which provided more than 40,000 election observers, had said Thursday it knew who had won the vote, but did not name him.
In a letter to Nangaa on Saturday, CENCO President Mgr Marcel Utembi said that, given the delay, “if there is a popular uprising, it would be the responsibility of the CENI.”
The Dec. 30 vote saw 21 candidates run to replace President Joseph Kabila, who has ruled the vast, conflict-ridden country for almost 18 years.
Among the frontrunners were Kabila’s handpicked successor Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary and two opposition candidates: veteran heavyweight Felix Tshisekedi and newcomer Martin Fayulu.
At stake is the political stewardship of a mineral-rich country that has never known a peaceful transition of power since independence from Belgium in 1960.
Kabila had been due to step down two years ago, but clung onto power, sparking widespread protests that were brutally repressed, killing dozens.
The election, preceded by repeated delays, was carried out in a relatively peaceful manner. But tensions have built over the lengthy counting process, amid fears the results could be manipulated to install Kabila-backed Shadary in power.
The electoral commission had promised to announce preliminary results on Sunday, followed by a definitive count on Jan. 15.
But Nangaa told AFP just under half of ballots had been counted by Saturday afternoon, adding: “Next week, we will announce.”
The further delay could stoke tension in the unstable central African nation of 80 million.
Nangaa has blamed the slow count on massive logistical problems in a country the size of Western Europe with poor infrastructure.
Since the vote, the authorities have cut internet access and blocked broadcasts by Radio France Internationale, causing widespread frustration.
With international concerns growing over the transfer of power in sub-Saharan Africa’s largest nation, Western powers have upped the pressure.
The United States and European Union urged Kinshasa to ensure a peaceful change of power.
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