Democratic Republic of the Congo :: Félix Tshisekedi Leads the Presidential Elections: Contestations and Expectations for the Future :: Congo Democratic
The partial results of the presidential election in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) were revealed Thursday by the Electoral Commission (Céni), placing the outgoing president, Félix Tshisekedi, in the lead with a comfortable lead. According to these preliminary results, Tshisekedi would win 76% of the votes among the 12.5 million votes already counted, or 9.5 million votes to his credit.
Moïse Katumbi and Martin Fayulu come in second and third respectively with 16.5% and 4.46% of the votes. However, these figures sparked controversy within the opposition, alleging “irregularities” during the vote and calling for the results to be annulled, while demanding legal action against members of the electoral commission.
The elections in the DRC have been marked by criticism and doubts about their transparency and integrity. The Electoral Observation Mission of Catholic and Protestant Churches (CENCO-ECC), an influential entity, stressed that it had established a parallel vote counting mechanism. This initiative made it possible to note that one candidate (in this case Tshisekedi) clearly stood out from the others, obtaining more than half of the votes cast.
However, despite this apparent advance, CENCO-ECC noted several cases of irregularities that could potentially compromise the integrity of the results in certain regions. In its report made public Thursday in Kinshasa, the mission called on the Electoral Commission as well as the competent judicial authorities to responsibly examine these irregularities before any final proclamation of the results.
The Electoral Commission (Céni) announced that the overall results will be revealed on December 31, with the provisional results of the national and provincial legislative elections scheduled for January 3, 2024. The results of the municipal elections will be revealed on February 4, 2024.
This post-electoral period in the DRC is therefore marked by growing tensions between the opposition and the authorities in charge of electoral supervision. The opposition continues to contest the results, arguing possible flaws in the electoral process, while expectations for the publication of final results remain high among the Congolese population.
At this stage, attention turns to the resolution of the disputes and to the actions that the competent authorities will take to guarantee the integrity and legitimacy of the electoral results, crucial elements for stability and democracy in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
