The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a coalition of key opposition candidates in the presidential elections has rejected the results that declared incumbent Felix Tshisekedi as the winner.
According to the electoral commission CENI, President Tshisekedi secured approximately 73% of the vote, while his closest rival, Moise Katumbi, received 18%.
In a joint statement released just hours before the official announcement, the nine opposition candidates highlighted observed irregularities both before, during, and after the voting process.
They pointed to violations of electoral laws, including the extension of voting for six days, the existence of parallel polling stations, and the control of voting machines by candidates associated with the current regime.
“We unequivocally reject this fraudulent election,” stated the nine opposition candidates in a joint declaration on Sunday morning. Martin Fayulu urged the public to protest massively in the streets once the electoral fraud is officially proclaimed.
The opposition statement labeled the December 20 quadruple ballot as a “farce” or “masquerade” due to these irregularities. Despite calls for a rerun of the elections, the Congolese government had previously rejected such proposals.
The vast Central African country, with a population of approximately 100 million, saw nearly 44 million voters participating in the quadruple ballot, which included the election of the president, national and provincial deputies, and, for the first time, local councillors.
The ballot, initially scheduled for December 20, was extended for an additional day by the electoral commission in areas where voting failed to take place on the designated polling day.
