Incumbent President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo leads his challenger Vice-President Jean-Pierre Bemba by a three to two margin in the run-off presidential election, according to the latest partial results published on Friday.
With 65% of the vote counted Kabila has 60,67% of the vote and Bemba 39,33%, according to figures compiled by Agence France-Presse (AFP) on the basis of results from 112 of the country’s 169 constituencies, published on the website of the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI).
Turnout was 67,4% in the 112 constituencies, which account for 64,77% of the 25-million strong electorate.
The CEI says the results are partial and provisional and subject to modification in the event of ”material errors”. They do not make possible ”any trend projection” in respect of the definitive outcome.
Provisional complete results will be announced by the CEI by November 19. The definitive outcome will be given by the supreme court no later than November 30 after challenges have been reviewed.
Before and since the poll, European Union Force troops have beefed up their patrols in Kinshasa to prevent a repeat of bloodshed that erupted in August after the release of first-round results, the EUFOR spokesperson said on Thursday.
”We’ve noticed increased tension in the city. Youths get agitated when they see the military patrols pass by,” Lieutenant-Colonel Thierry Fusalba told a press conference, where he went on to warn people against making trouble.
”Those trying to manipulate people — and I know tracts are going around town — and those who resort to violence will find Monuc [the UN mission in the country] and EUFOR blocking their path,” he said.
EUFOR was sent under a UN mandate that currently runs to the end of November to back up the 17 600-strong UN peacekeeping force, much of which is currently deployed in volatile eastern parts of the DRC.
Despite an element of tension, Fusalba said the presidential guard and Bemba’s militia, who battled each other at the cost of at least 23 lives in August, had stuck by an agreement to stay in their barracks.
Kabila continues to run strongly in the east of the country, with scores averaging 98% (Sud Kivu and Maniema) and 84% (Orientale province) with a high average turnout (73,5%) in the five eastern provinces. Bemba is doing best in his north-western stronghold of Equateur, picking up 96,7% of the vote in the 15 of 27 constituencies to declare, with a turnout of 83,3%.
He is doing well in the two central Kasai provinces (east and west) with 82,6% and 85,8% on average, but suffers from a low turnout (39,8% and 44,9%).
He leads in 11 constituencies in Bas-Congo (south-west) averaging 75% of the vote on a turnout of 51,8%. Only one constituency has yet to declare.
In Kinshasa, where results from four constituencies were reported on Thursday, Bemba won 24 communes accounting for 68% of the 1,6-million votes cast (from an electorate of three million). ‒ Sapa-AFP