Felix Tshisekedi, the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, has secured a second term in office by winning over 73% of the votes in the December 20 election, as announced by the country's electoral body CENI on Sunday.
The outcome announcement comes after many days of opposition and grievances about how the poll was conducted.
Denis Kadima, the president of CENI, announced the results in the capital, Kinshasa. He stated that Tshisekedi received over 13 million votes out of 18 million legitimate ballots. Additionally, Kadima mentioned that the voter turnout exceeded 43%.
Amidst the proclamation by Kadima that Tshisekedi was provisionally elected, Tshisekedi's supporters erupted in cheers.
Political parties, candidates, and their authorized representatives have a two-day window to contest the election results before the Constitutional Court. Subsequently, the court is allotted seven days to render a verdict and officially declare the outcome.
Moise Katumbi, the leading candidate from the opposition, who secured second place with 18% of the votes, has unequivocally rejected the possibility of initiating a legal dispute against the results announced by CENI. He claims that the state institutions lack the necessary impartiality.
The remaining opposition candidates have not clarified their intention to contest the results.
A coalition of nine opposition presidential candidates, including Katumbi and six political party leaders, urged their followers to engage in street protests following the publication of the preliminary election results on Sunday.
“We categorically reject the sham election … and its results,” the leading opposition candidates said in a joint declaration. They demanded that fresh elections be held with a new electoral body on a date to be agreed upon by all.
“We call on our people to take to the streets en masse after the proclamation of the electoral fraud,” they said.
The Congolese administration had previously dismissed demands for a repeat of the polls.
Logistical challenges, a prolonged election day, and an unclear vote count have intensified a disagreement that poses a risk of more significant destabilization to a nation approximately the size of Western Europe, more significantly agreed, the leading global producer of cobalt and other valuable industrial minerals.
Following the election day, several individuals, like former oil executive Martin Fayulu, who were competing against Tshisekedi, have been demanding a repeat of both the presidential fight and the parliamentary elections. They accuse CENI of manipulating the vote in favor of the president.
The complaints and warnings from independent observer organizations regarding the unannounced extension of voting and other occurrences during the counting of votes, which may have undermined the legitimacy and legal basis of the election, have been denied by both CENI and the administration.
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