Congo: rubber Stamp

CONGO

Rubber Stamp

A constitutional court in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday validated the election of opposition candidate Felix Tshisekedi as the country’s next president, rejecting contentions that the election commission had illegally disqualified more than a million voters from casting ballots in regions stricken by the Ebola virus and ethnic conflict.

Rival opposition leader Martin Fayulu immediately declared himself president and called the ruling “a constitutional coup,” the Washington Post reported. But the apparent support of regional power brokers and the absence of major street protests (so far) “all but ensures Tshisekedi’s victory,” the paper said.

Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta and South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, representing two of the region’s most influential countries, sent Tshisekedi their congratulations. Ramaphosa asked the rival stakeholders “to respect the decision of the constitutional court and commit to continue with a journey of consolidating peace,” the BBC reported.

The southern African regional group, SADC, also welcomed the decision. The African Union, which had earlier questioned the results, canceled plans to send a delegation of leaders to Kinshasa.