Regional states seek vote recount in DRC

Bloomberg

Regional heads of state backed a call by Martin Fayulu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) opposition leader, for a recount of last month’s presidential election, as the country’s Constitutional Court prepared to consider his challenge against the result.
Opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi was declared the surprise winner of the December 30 poll. If the Constitutional Court validates the electoral commission’s results, he’ll succeed outgoing head of state Joseph Kabila, who was barred from seeking a third term after leading the cobalt- and copper-rich country for 18 years.
The Southern African Development Community, a 16-nation bloc, and the 12-member International Conference on the Great Lakes Region both said the electoral authority should review the vote because of disputes about the outcome. Fayulu claims the counting process was rigged, depriving him of victory.
“This is the first time that SADC has asked for a recount in an election so it’s unusual,” said Stephanie Wolters, head of the peace and security research program at the Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria, South Africa. “It’s a statement which is stronger than we expected. It’s obviously really important for Tshisekedi to have SADC’s approval and endorsement for his presidency.”
SADC said a recount “would provide the necessary reassurance to both winners and losers,” according to a statement emailed by the Zambian presidency. The ICGLR echoed the call, issuing “a strong appeal to all political actors as well as civil society to prioritise the higher interests of the country at this crucial moment in history.”
Results released by the electoral commission show Fayulu finished second, while Kabila’s preferred successor, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, came a distant third. Kabila’s ruling coalition won a comfortable majority in Congo’s National Assembly.
Fayulu claims he secured the most votes and petitioned the Constitutional Court to order the electoral commission to carry out another tally
of the presidential and legislative polls. An influential organisation representing Congo’s Catholic bishops has said the official presidential results don’t reflect the findings of its 40,000-strong observation mission.