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January 10, 2019

Congo: Felix Tshisekedi Declared Provisional President-Elect
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In the Democratic Republic of Congo, opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi
has been declared the provisional winner in December's presidential
election. Congo's Independent National Election Commission says
Tshisekedi won a plurality of votes with almost 39 percent of the total.
But election observers-including the influential Church's bishops'
conference-say another opposition leader, Martin Fayulu, won handily.
Fayulu has denounced the results as an "electoral coup" and promised a
challenge. The result comes in an election that observers say was marred
by irregularities, with opposition groups alleging fraud. More than a
million Congolese voters were unable to cast ballots due to violence
from armed opposition groups, as well as an outbreak of the deadly Ebola
virus. A candidate groomed by longtime authoritarian President Joseph
Kabila came in third place. Kabila has promised to step down this month
after 18 years in power-and more than two years since his presidential
mandate expired.


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