Congolese ready to ‘demand victory if it is stolen’

RIOT police were deployed at the electoral commission’s headquarters in Kinshasa yesterday before the expected announcement of a result in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s presidential election, a vote the opposition said was marred by fraud.

Pre-election polls gave businessman Martin Fayulu a healthy lead, but his supporters believe President Joseph Kabila plans to rig the vote in favour of his hand-picked candidate Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary or to forge a power-sharing pact with Felix Tshisekedi, head of the largest opposition party.

Any widespread perception the election has been stolen could set off a destabilising cycle of unrest, repeating violence that followed elections in 2006 and 2011.

In South Africa, President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Zambian counterpart Edgar Lungu met yesterday and urged the election commission (Ceni) to speedily release the results to maintain stability.

Ceni said late on Tuesday it had held what it called a series of “evaluation meetings and deliberations”, after which it would “proceed to the publication of provisional results from the presidential election”.

“We don’t want people to die when they announce (the results), blood to be spilled,” said Kinshasa resident Ohn Kabamba.

“If the Ceni announces the true results it will be calm, but if not, I don’t know what will happen,” said another, Abraham Tumba.

Journalists were summoned at about 3pm to Ceni headquarters where a banner said results would be announced yesterday.

Kabila had wanted to hand over to Shadary when he stands down this month after 18 years in power – two years after the official end of his mandate. But polls suggested the former interior minister was trailing both Tshisekedi and front-runner Fayulu ahead of the December 30 poll, a contest that was meant to result in the first democratic transfer of power in Congo’s 59 years of independence.

The Roman Catholic Church, which helped monitor the poll, has said there was a clear winner in the vote, but refrained from saying who it thought had won. It has been working behind the scenes to secure a peaceful transfer of power.

Police took up positions along Kinshasa’s main boulevard as well as at the election commission’s headquarters. Residents went about their normal activities, but some parents kept their children home from school as a precaution.

Even so, some people said they were gearing up for potential unrest.

“Everyone voted against the government in place. We are preparing to demand victory if it is stolen from us,” said Augustin Bujiriri, a 25-year-old student in the eastern city of Goma.

The results were originally due last Sunday, but were postponed due to delays tallying the vote.