DRC legislative vote results delayed

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s electoral commission said that the results of the November 28 parliamentary polls expected on Friday would be delayed by a few days.

Polling body official Matthieu Mpita said on Thursday that while partial results would continue to be released as they trickle in, the announcement of the full compiled results would be delayed by “about a week”.

The legislative polls in Africa’s second largest country were held on the same day as the presidential election, which saw President Joseph Kabila fight off rigging accusations to eventually secure a second term.

The country is two-thirds the size of Western Europe and ranks last in the UN development index. Organising an election there is a huge logistic challenge, with 19 000 candidates vying for the assembly’s 500 seats this year.

The electoral commission had suspended tallying in late December amid an opposition outcry over the way the presidential count was handled as well as criticism from the international community, which largely snubbed Kabila’s inauguration.

Foreign experts from two US groups have since January 5 been working with Congolese electoral officials on the legislative ballot’s counting process in a bid to enhance the results’ credibility and assuage fears of civil unrest.—AFP