Congo’s Fayulu urges protest as rival handed presidency

Bloomberg

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)’s Constitutional Court confirmed opposition leader Felix Tshiskedi as the next president, while rival Martin Fayulu rejected the ruling and declared himself the rightful head of state.
The court judgment of Sunday in Kinshasa, the capital, clears the way for the first transfer of power via the ballot box in the cobalt- and copper-rich nation since it gained independence from Belgium almost six decades ago. It also places the country on a collision course with the African Union, which had called for a suspension of the proclamation of Tshisekedi’s victory because of doubts about the veracity of the results.
Fayulu challenged the outcome of the December 30 vote after Congo’s Catholic bishops said the electoral commission’s tally didn’t reflect the findings of its nationwide observer mission. Leaked troves of near matching voting data show three times more people voted for Fayulu than Tshiskedi, according to the New York-based Congo Research Group. Tshisekedi won the poll with 39 percent, the electoral commission said on January 10, while Fayulu had 35 percent.
“The Constitutional Court just validated the false provisional results of the presidential election,” Fayulu told reporters after the ruling, calling for peaceful protests across Congo. “From now on I consider myself the sole legitimate president of the Democratic Republic of Congo.”
Tshisekedi, 55, leads Congo’s largest opposition party and is scheduled to be inaugurated on January 22. His ascension to power will bring an end to the 18-year rule of President Joseph Kabila, whose tenure was marred by a controversial 2011 reelection, violent crackdowns on opposition supporters and allegations that he used his position to expand his family’s business interests.
Fayulu had said Tshisekedi and Kabila struck a secret agreement to deprive him of the presidency — a charge denied by both camps. Kabila’s anointed successor, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, came a distant third in the poll, while Fayulu was backed by Moise Katumbi and Jean-Pierre Bemba, two of Kabila’s biggest adversaries. The outgoing president was barred by the constitution from seeking a third term.
Despite Shadary’s poor performance, Kabila’s ruling coalition, the Common Front for Congo, won a large majority in the National Assembly, posing a challenge to the new president.
The African Union unexpectedly criticised Congo’s handling of the vote, saying it had “serious doubts” about the veracity of the outcome.
The organisation dispatched a delegation, which had been scheduled to arrive in Congo on Monday, to help resolve a political crisis spawned by the disputed result.The Constitutional Court rejected Fayulu’s challenge, and another by a second unsuccessful candidate Theodore Ngoy.
The scion of long-time opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, who died two years ago, Tshisekedi campaigned on pledges to clamp down on rampant corruption, enhance security and promote development.