After what can only be described as a hotly contested presidential race, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Electoral Commission (CENI) has declared opposition leader, Felix Tshisekedi, the provisional winner of the elections.
Following several delays before and after the elections, son of veteran opposition leader, Etienne Tshisekedi, is set to replace Kabila in what will serve as the first democratic transfer of power since the country’s independence from Belgium in 1960.
According to Corneille Nangaa, president of the country’s electoral commission, Tshisekedi won the election with 38.57 percent of the total 18 million votes casted, followed closely by Martin Fayulu who received 6.4 million votes and finally, Kabila’s handpicked replacement, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, who came in third with 4.4 million votes.
The results, which were announced in the early hours of Thursday, have already been rejected by Tshisekedi’s main opposition, Martin Fayulu who previously raised suspicions about tampering prior to the announcement of the results.
Based on the constitution, the opposition and any other aggrieved parties can contest the election results over the next 10 days, before Tshisekedi is officially confirmed winner by the country’s constitutional court.
While none of his opponents have conceded the elections, Tshisekedi while addressing supporters at his campaign headquarters in Kinshasha, made it known that he intends to rule the entirety of Congo and not just factions or groups based on tribalistic or political sentiments.
He further declared his intention to work with other candidates and called exiting President Joseph Kabila an important political partner, which has fueled speculations that a deal was struck between both men ahead of the elections to ensure Tshisekedi’s win, and provide Kabila a share of the country’s power after his exit. Tshisekedi’s camp has vehemently denied these rumours.
Notably, Tshisekedi joined other opposition party candidates in November to support Martin Fayulu’s take down of Kabila’s man, Shadary, but backed out later, claiming that his supporters were committed to seeing his name on the ballot.
The December elections were not without controversy as irregularities were reported by observers who noted that some polling centers did not open at the scheduled time, while some closed earlier than they should have. Observers also reported malfunctioning voting machines in different areas.
There was also the heavily criticised internet cuts after the elections, which limited the coverage of the election process and raised concerns about potential rigging and election tampering.
Kabila is set to exit the presidential seat soon and, if Tshisekedi is eventually declared winner by the constitutional court, a swearing in ceremony has been set for the 18th of January.
