DRC poll dubbed ‘a parody’

Former Democratic Republic of Congo warlord Jean-Pierre Bemba has denounced a long-delayed December presidential election as a “parody” after the country’s top court banned him from contesting.

Bemba was one of six DRC presidential hopefuls excluded by the election commission from the December 23 vote.

He had appealed against the decision but the Constitutional Court upheld the ban late on Monday, saying he was excluded for his conviction by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for bribing witnesses at his war crimes trial.

“The fact that one is choosing opponents is very worrying,” Bemba told France 24 TV.

He said the restive nation would witness “a parody of an election”.

President Joseph Kabila, who has held office since 2001, has finally said he will not run following deadly unrest in the volatile nation.

Bemba had declared his candidacy after a triumphant return home from Belgium after the ICC acquitted him of war crimes charges.

In June, a divided ICC bench overturned Bemba’s conviction and 18-year jail term for war crimes and crimes against humanity by his troops in the Central African Republic.

However, Bemba and five co-accused were convicted on appeal of bribery, corruption and coaching witnesses. –