DR Congo election thread

[WaxLyrical]

That's a surprise.

 

[Excalibur]

Fayulu was robbed, another farce.

 

[Gordon_R]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-46819303

The Catholic Church said that the result did not match data collected by its election monitors.

The ruling party, whose candidate finished third, has not yet contested the result, prompting allegations of a power-sharing deal with Mr Tshisekedi.

It is an accusation Mr Tshisekedi's team denies.

Mr Fayulu's supporters say this backs their suspicion Mr Tshisekedi has cut a power-sharing deal with Mr Kabila. Mr Tshisekedi's spokesman, Louis d'Or Ngalamulume, said there was "never any deal".

The BBC's Africa editor, Fergal Keane, says Mr Tshisekedi is seen by many as the opposition candidate least objectionable to President Kabila and that it is perhaps significant that neither Mr Kabila nor his party have so far voiced any objection to the result.

Mr Fayulu, a former oil tycoon, said the results had "nothing to do with the truth".

"The Congolese people will never accept such a fraud," he told the BBC, adding: "Felix Tshisekedi never got 7 million votes. Where did he get them from?"

He said the electoral commission and ruling party had made up the figures to give Mr Tshisekedi - their "protégé" - victory.

Analysis by Fergal Keane, BBC News, in Kinshasa

Given the deeply polarised nature of politics here, any result was going to leave a divisive aftermath.

Whether Mr Tshisekedi has the intention or the capacity to challenge the powerful hold Mr Kabila enjoys over the army, security services and key ministries will determine whether politics has really entered a new era. He has already spoken of working with Mr Kabila to ensure the success of democracy.

For Mr Fayulu there are difficulties, too. How does he decide to react?

The most likely route for the moment is to try to challenge the result within the 10-day period parties are allowed under the law. Given the closeness of the vote, his supporters will point to claims of irregularities in several areas.

Significantly the Church and civil society have called on citizens to avoid becoming involved in violence - a recognition of the dangers involved in street protests while facing security forces with a reputation for heavy-handedness.

 

[rietrot]

Wait what? So the wrong guy won? Didn't people want this opposition guy to win? Why not?

 

[Gordon_R]

Wait what? So the wrong guy won? Didn't people want this opposition guy to win? Why not?

Its 'complicated', and few believe it was an accurate result:

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/art...presidential-race-but-sa-still-mum-on-result/

Jason Stearns, director of the Congo Research Group at the Centre on International Co-operation at the New York University said Western and African diplomats were looking to SADC to take the initiative to promote stability in the DRC. He said the international community was deferring to the African Union, and the AU is deferring to SADC. “Even within SADC, they are relying on South Africa, who has been very cautious through this whole election result period,” he said. South Africa’s former president Thabo Mbeki played an instrumental role in helping establish peace in the DRC, and eventually also having democratic elections in 2006 and 2011.

Stearns said the perception was that Ramaphosa was much closer to opposition figures like businessman Moise Katumbi, who threw his weight behind Fayulu after he was disqualified from running, while Zuma was much closer to Kabila. He speculated the reason why Ramaphosa had not been more outspoken in favour of the DRC election, was because he wanted to keep Zuma friendly – especially ahead of South Africa’s own elections. The fact that some figures in South Africa are close to Kabila, could also, however, work in its favour as mediator because Kabila might be prepared to listen to South Africa – although his rejection last year of the appointment of Mbeki as special envoy to the Great Lakes region indicated that any such a process of persuasion would not have been easy. Katumbi was reported to have come to South Africa on Wednesday, but he didn’t respond to messages asking for confirmation.

https://ewn.co.za/2019/01/10/ramaphosa-notes-drc-provisional-election-results

Diplomats note that Ramaphosa has not congratulated Felix Tshisekedi who was named as Congo’s next president.

Ramaphosa is playing his cards cautiously. South Africa is increasingly drawn into the DRC imbroglio given its mediation history in the country.

 

[schumi]

Congo ruling coalition wins legislative majority, constraining president-elect

KINSHASA (Reuters) - Outgoing Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila’s ruling coalition won a majority in legislative elections, a coalition official said on Saturday, despite opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi’s win in the presidential vote the same day.

The result will undercut Tshisekedi’s ability to deliver on campaign promises to make a break with the 18-year Kabila era and fuel suspicion that his victory, announced on Thursday, came through a backroom deal that will preserve Kabila’s influence over important ministries and the security forces.

Kabila is due to step down in the coming days in what was meant to be Congo’s first democratic transfer of power in 59 years of independence. But he has signaled he intends to remain involved in politics and might run for president in 2023 when term limits no longer apply.

The runner-up in the presidential election, Martin Fayulu, filed a fraud complaint on Saturday with Congo’s highest court to challenge the result, a campaign spokeswoman, Eve Bazaiba, told Reuters.
Fayulu’s supporters have demonstrated in several cities since the results were announced. Protests in the western city of Kikwit on Thursday turned violent, killing at least four demonstrators and two police officers.

More at: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ty-constraining-president-elect-idUSKCN1P60A9

 

[schumi]

DR Congo election: Sadc proposes unity government

The southern African regional body Sadc has called for a unity government in the Democratic Republic of Congo, following the disputed presidential election.

All political leaders should agree a negotiated settlement, it said.

Opposition candidate Felix Tshisekedi was declared winner but another opponent of the current administration, Martin Fayulu, insists he won.

He alleges Mr Tshisekedi made a deal with outgoing President Joseph Kabila.

Mr Kabila has been in office for 18 years and the result, if confirmed, would create the first orderly transfer of power since independence from Belgium in 1960.

The declaration of Mr Tshisekedi as winner has also been disputed by the influential Catholic church which says it deployed 40,000 election monitors across the country.

On Saturday, Mr Fayulu filed an appeal in the Constitutional Court demanding a manual recount of votes cast in the 30 December election.

This call was supported by Sadc in its statement issued by Zambian President Edgar Lungu, who is the body's current chairman.

More at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-46856660

 

[Hamish McPanji]

That's how dodgy it is..

 

[rietrot]

I don't see a court overturning election results or this guy that's now been elected stepping aside. I don't believe there is any historical/legal precedent for that happing anywhere. What's done is done.

 

[Hamish McPanji]

I don't see a court overturning election results or this guy that's now been elected stepping aside. I don't believe there is any historical/legal precedent for that happing anywhere. What's done is done.

National unity government in Kenya as an example. Has happened in other countries in Africa.

Certain parts of the country haven't even voted. How can you actually declare the results before a portion of the country is voting in March?

 

[Hamish McPanji]

In any case, estimates from the Church and 3rd parties put Fayulu's win at about 60% , a far cry from the results that were released

https://www.ft.com/content/2b97f6e6-189d-11e9-b93e-f4351a53f1c3

My point was, if SADC...who has a history of rubber stamping dodgy elections is asking for something , you know it's dodgy as hell
M

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/african-bloc-calls-dr-congo-vote-recount-190114143625374.html

The International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (CIRGL) has also questioned the results

 

[Wasabee!]

Just ship them a lot of weapons. EA needs a new idea for the next Battlefield.

 

[Hamish McPanji]

Just ship them a lot of weapons. EA needs a new idea for the next Battlefield.

We already played Far Cry 2.

 

[Wasabee!]

We already played Far Cry 2.

Tho I wana play a child fighter with an AK47, or a guerrilla with a panga.

Come on didn't you ever want that Idi Amin salutation? Imagine seeing this, yoooo!

His Excellency, President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Seas and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular has joined the game.

 

[Gordon_R]

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/art...cs-constitutional-court-could-bring-him-back/

Now that the election petition is before it, the constitutional court has several options. First, it can order a recount by the electoral commission. Second, it can replace Tshisekedi with Fayulu as the winner. Third, it can reject the petition and uphold the electoral commission declaration of Tshisekedi as the winner. It that case Tshisekedi will be sworn in on 18 January.

According to sceptics, that would be the legal endorsement of Kabila’s Plan B. Fourth, and most unexpected, it can accept that the election was irredeemably flawed and therefore nullify it and order a fresh election within a certain period of time. In that case, according to the constitutional court’s prior interpretation of Article 70 of the constitution, Kabila would continue as president pending new elections. This could be Kabila’s plan C.

 

[Gordon_R]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-46914032

The African Union (AU) has called on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) to postpone the announcement of its presidential election results.

The pan-African organisation, which aims to promote unity and democracy, says it has "serious doubts" about provisional results released last week.

Those figures gave opposition candidate Felix Tshisekedi victory but an opponent of the current administration, Martin Fayulu, insists he won.

The final results are due on Friday.

Questions have been raised about the accuracy of the results amid accusations that Mr Tshisekedi is planning a power-sharing deal with outgoing President Joseph Kabila.

 

[Gordon_R]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-46935898

The constitutional court in the Democratic Republic of Congo has upheld the victory of opposition presidential candidate Felix Tshisekedi.

The court rejected an appeal by Martin Fayulu, another opposition contender in the 30 December poll.

Mr Fayulu argued that Mr Tshisekedi had made a power-sharing deal with outgoing President Joseph Kabila. Mr Tshisekedi's team denies this.

Despite the court ruling, Mr Fayulu said he was a "legitimate" president.

Mr Fayulu also urged the international community not to recognise the official election result.