DRC opposition to protest after Supreme Court declares Kabila reelected
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) Supreme Court has upheld the reelection of Joseph Kabila as president in a surprise announcement made Friday apparently aiming to head off protests by supporters of opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi.
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Tshisekedi’s UDPS party said it will organise protest “Monday or Tuesday” in several cities, denouncing the result as an “electoral hold-up”.
At a court session attended by few journalists and even fewer politicians, court vice-president Jerome Kitoko formally declared Kabila had won 48.95 per cent of the vote against Tshisekedi’s 32.33 per cent in last month’s election.
The court "proclaims the election by a simple majority of Mr Joseph Kabila as president of the Democratic Republic of Congo," he said, confirming the results declared on 9 December by the independent national election commission.
The announcement that had been expected was a judgement on the appeal against the results by Vital Kamerhe, one of the few candidates to challenge them due to lack of faith in the independence of the court, which Kabila expanded from seven to 27 members before the presidential poll.
Earlier leaders of Great Lakes countries gathered at a summit in Kampala welcomed Kabila’s election.
Kabila will be sworn in on Tuesday, 20 December.
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