The Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) initial results from a presidential poll indicated a provisional lead for incumbent President Felix Tshisekedi, despite widespread chaos and delays during the elections.
The nation’s electoral commission, Ceni, released results for Congolese voters in various countries, showing a minor portion of the total votes cast. These early figures suggested Tshisekedi’s potential advantage as he seeks a second term in office.
The DRC, a resource-rich yet underprivileged country, conducted simultaneous polls on Wednesday, involving presidential, parliamentary, provincial assembly, and local council elections. However, the voting process was marred by significant delays, administrative disorder, and, in some instances, polling stations that failed to open on time.
While the electoral commission had declared that no stations should open on Friday, voting persisted in some remote areas, such as Kilembwe in South Kivu province. The territory’s administrator, Sammy Kalonji, assured that voting, which commenced late Thursday due to delayed materials, would conclude by Friday afternoon.
Despite challenges, Didi Manara from Ceni highlighted that approximately “97 percent” of the DRC’s vast number of polling stations had managed to open, considering the country’s massive size, comparable to continental Western Europe.
Observations from the Carter Center, a US-based election observation group, cited “serious irregularities” in 21 out of 109 polling stations visited. Nonetheless, they acknowledged that the ballot proceeded “relatively well” in the other 88 stations, with technical issues reported in 24 stations involving electronic voting devices.
With results from the Congolese diaspora released on Friday night, Ceni is poised to begin announcing provisional results for the DRC’s 26 provinces on Saturday. Over 44 million Congolese were registered to vote, with more than 100,000 candidates contesting various positions.
Despite challenges and criticisms from opposition candidates such as Denis Mukwege, Moise Katumbi, and Martin Fayulu, who voiced concerns over election disarray and potential fraud, tensions loom as the final results are awaited.
The United States reiterated its call for transparent and fair elections in the DRC, emphasizing its commitment to identifying irregularities. Concerns persist about heightened tensions when the official results are disclosed in a country historically marked by authoritarian rule and conflict.
