President Thabo Mbeki congratulated the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) Independent Electoral Commission on Thursday for organising the first and second round of presidential elections in that country.
Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said Mbeki was aware of the announcement of the provisional results, which make President Joseph Kabila the winner.
Mbeki also congratulated the people of the DRC who came out in large numbers to ”participate in this historic process as part of efforts to shape the destiny of their country”.
”We will await the outcome of the final confirmation of the elections by the DRC’s Supreme Court before a response to the results is made,” Mamoepa said.
The Congolese Independent Electoral Commission announced Kabila’s win late on Wednesday, saying he had taken 58,05% of the votes cast on October 29 compared with 41,9% for his rival Jean-Pierre Bemba, the Vice-President and a former rebel leader.
Regional ballots were also cast.
Final results will be announced by the country’s Supreme Court after any contentious issues are addressed, the French news agency Agence France-Presse reported. — Sapa