/ 2 August 2006

World powers urge caution over DRC election

United Nations powers on Wednesday warned rivals in the war-ravaged Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) not to sow unease among voters as they await results of the first multiparty election in 46 years.

Politicians and the media should avoid “misrepresentation” of early counting in the July 30 vote, said the International Committee supporting the Transition in the DRC (CIAT).

“Such misrepresentation sows unease among the people and could threaten public order,” said CIAT, whose members include permanent UN Security Council powers Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.

The warning came as some private television stations owned by candidates — in particular President Joseph Kabila and his arch-rival Vice-President Jean-Pierre Bemba — broadcast results in towns or villages, presenting them as an indication of a national trend.

Final results are not due until August 31 as Africa’s third largest country — almost as vast as Western Europe — transports and counts ballots from both presidential and parliamentary votes.

“The publication of provisional election results is the exclusive responsibility of the Independent Election Commission,” said the French-language CIAT statement received by Agence France-Presse.

Results from 50 000 local voting offices are still being taken to 62 election commission centres, where they would be brought together before publication.

The election commission is still consolidating the count in the presence of political party representatives and election observers, the CIAT said.

“At this stage, any results must be partial and incomplete and cannot represent anything other than a partial trend,” it said.

The Independent Election Commission and the country’s press regulator also published a joint statement denouncing the media for “flagrant violation of the electoral law concerning publication of the results”.

Such abuses could “disturb the electoral process and create a climate of tension that is pointless and dangerous”.

A recurrence would lead to sanctions that could go as far as “the pure and simple closure” of television and radio stations concerned, the two bodies warned.

The warning was echoed by the UN Organisation Mission in the DRC (Monuc) chief William Swing, who urged media and “others” against the temptation of declaring victory for candidates or spreading fraud accusations before electoral authorities had completed their work.

“It is in the interests of the people and process to be patient and stay calm,” he said on Wednesday.

The electoral commission has said it will not publish any trend from the presidential vote before August 20.

The two main presidential contenders, youthful incumbent Kabila and rebel-turned-politician Bemba, said they saw no reason to cry foul, despite some irregularities and incidents of violence during the first multiparty elections since the eve of independence from Belgium 46 years ago.

Sunday’s voting had extended into Monday in 226 districts in the central province of Kasai, after supporters of a party that boycotted the polls threw stones and torched polling stations at the weekend.

Voting is also now complete in another 12 districts near Mweka in western Kasai, which had to re-open on Tuesday because election materials arrived late, the election commission said.

Besides the big five UN powers, the CIAT comprises Angola, Belgium, Canada, Gabon, South Africa, Zambia, the African Union, the European Union and Monuc. — AFP