KINSHASA, Congo — The Latest on Congo’s presidential election (all times local):
11:35 a.m.
The runner-up in Congo’s presidential election is calling for a manual recount of results in the presidential, national assembly and provincial votes.
Martin Fayulu in a post on Twitter alleges that the results announced in all three by Congo’s electoral commission are “fabricated.” The commission has said the ruling coalition of President Joseph Kabila won a majority of the national assembly seats and provincial ones.
Fayulu on Saturday is expected to file a court challenge to the official presidential results, which show that rival opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi won. Fayulu alleges a backroom deal between Tshisekedi and Kabila as the ruling party’s presidential candidate did poorly.
Fayulu’s coalition asserts he won 61 per cent of the vote according to the Catholic Church’s 40,000 election observers across the country. The church has said its findings show a different winner than the one officially declared.
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8:35 a.m.
The ruling coalition of Congo’s outgoing President Joseph Kabila has won a large majority of seats in the national assembly. The electoral commission announced the results early Saturday.
That sharply reduces the chances of dramatic reforms under the declared presidential election winner, opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi. The election runner-up accuses Tshisekedi of a backroom deal with Kabila to win power.
The runner-up, businessman and anti-corruption campaigner Martin Fayulu, has said he will file a court challenge to the election results on Saturday morning.
His opposition coalition says Fayulu won 61 per cent of the vote, citing figures compiled by the influential Catholic Church’s election observers. The coalition says the figures show Tshieskedi received 18 per cent.
The electoral commission says the date for the presidential inauguration is Jan. 22.
The Associated Press
