South Africa: The opposition’s calls for the vote to be cancelled due to purported fraud have put the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) presidential election in jeopardy.
The vote should not be accepted because it was tainted by “massive fraud,” according to five opposition candidates, one of whom is former provincial governor Moise Katumbi.
A protest march against the results is scheduled for next Wednesday, and five other opposition leaders, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Mr. Denis Mukwege and former oil executive Mr. Martin Fayulu, have joined the call.
The mineral-rich Central African nation had about 44 million registered voters when it came time to select the president, national and local legislators, and local council members. President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mr. Felix Tshisekedi, is seeking reelection against eighteen opposition candidates, and he has a sizable lead in the preliminary results of voting by voters living abroad.
Western governments, fearing a recurrence of the violence that has followed disputed election results in the past, have called for moderation. Twelve European embassies, along with the Canadian embassy, issued a joint statement on Saturday urging moderation.
“As the vote counting continues, we urge all stakeholders, especially political actors, candidates and their supporters, to exercise restraint, allow the process to unfold, and raise their concerns peacefully,” the embassies stated.
Since the election began on Wednesday, there have been numerous allegations of irregularities and corruption. As a result, authorities decided to extend the polling period until Thursday, as some polling places were unable to open and some voters were unable to locate their names on registrations.
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