President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo has secured a second term in office with a resounding victory, according to provisional results announced on Sunday. However, opposition leaders have dismissed the election as a “sham”.
The country’s electoral commission, Ceni, declared that Tshisekedi had won 73 percent of the vote in the single-round presidential ballot. Moise Katumbi, a wealthy businessman and former provincial governor, came in second with approximately 18 percent.
The Constitutional Court is expected to confirm the provisional results on January 10. Tshisekedi first assumed power in January 2019 after a disputed election, which many observers believed he had lost.
Martin Fayulu, who claims to have been robbed of the previous presidential election in 2018, also contested this year’s poll but only received around five percent of the votes.
The voting, which was initially scheduled for December 20, was officially extended by a day due to issues and continued for several days in remote regions, as reported by observers. A Catholic-Protestant observation mission has stated that they have documented numerous instances of irregularities that could have potentially impacted the integrity of the vote.
In response to the post-election tensions that have been prevalent in the country, approximately 15 embassies have called for “restraint” in this economically disadvantaged yet resource-rich nation.
The authorities have taken measures to prevent any unrest, particularly in the mining areas of the southeast, which are considered to be the stronghold of Katumbi. They emphasize that any electoral disputes should be presented to the Constitutional Court. However, opposition leaders express their lack of confidence in both the court and Ceni, arguing that they are subservient to the government.
