CONGO
In All But Name
A long-delayed election in the Democratic Republic of Congo has not ended concerns that President Joseph Kabila will continue to cling to power – in everything but the name.
Most independent election observers, including the Roman Catholic Church, have insisted that opposition candidate Martin Fayulu defeated fellow opposition leader Félix Tshisekedi, who was declared the winner, as well as Kabila’s handpicked successor, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, the New York Times reported. Fayulu has appealed to the Constitutional Court to demand a recount. The Southern African Development Community has backed his proposal and called for a unity government “given the strong objections to the provisional results.”
But analysts expect the Constitutional Court to validate Tshisekedi as the winner, the paper noted, and Kabila will command a lot of influence over him. Kabila’s party dominated the simultaneous legislative elections – giving Kabila a majority in parliament and the power to appoint the prime minister and likely setting him up to become Senate president.
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