2023-12-26 14:00:01
A voter prepares to vote in Kinshasa, December 20, 2023. JOHN WESSELS / AFP
Even before the full publication of the provisional results of the presidential and legislative elections of December 20 by the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI); without waiting for the conclusions of independent observation missions either, the opposition seems determined to move the electoral fight into the streets. The main candidates opposed to outgoing President Félix Tshisekedi reject the vote en bloc, demand its cancellation and call on the population to demonstrate on Wednesday, December 27 – a gathering that the authorities have banned, saying they fear excesses. A risky strategy, potentially leading to violence given the tumultuous past electoral experiences in this country.
This rejection of the results comes while the CENI is far from having finished listing the results, constituency by constituency, which are gradually displayed on the giant screens installed in the Bosolo counting center, installed for the opportunity in the Gombé district of Kinshasa. The vote counters advance with a nagging slowness. Monday evening, the results included only 3.2 million votes for an electorate of some 44 million people. They gave an overwhelming majority to the outgoing head of state, around 80% of the votes.
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For Hervé Diakiese, the spokesperson for Moïse Katumbi, the main challenger to Félix Tshisekedi, this slow, fragmented enumeration scattered over the extent of the territory has no other purpose than “to prepare minds for a victory for the president”. “They have no plans to announce anything else”, he adds. Those close to Moïse Katumbi, former governor of the country’s main mining region, Katanga, are demanding the outright cancellation of the vote. “The CENI is part of a charade. It is conditioning public opinion to accept unfair results. We will never accept it, the elements at our disposal largely demonstrate that Moïse Katumbi is in the lead. said Hervé Diakiese on Saturday.
The serious malfunctions observed on the day of the vote cast doubt on its reliability. The Archbishop of Kinshasa, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, described the vote as “giant organized disorder”during the Christmas mass pronounced in the capital’s cathedral. “The CENI was not ready to organize the elections on December 20. She wanted to organize as a challenge, but these are the consequences”he said, highlighting the frustrations felt by many voters.
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