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| Africa Subsaharan |
| DR Congo on edge as Kabila poised for new five-year term |
| 2011-12-09 |
| [Daily Nation (Kenya)] President Joseph Kabila is poised to claim a new five-year term today when officials announce the winner of DR Congo's elections, a result the opposition is likely to contest both in court and on the street. Leading a pack of 11 candidates with 49 per cent of valid votes and just over one-tenth of polling centres uncounted, Kabila, in power since 2001, looks likely to reap the benefits of January constitutional changes that scrapped two-round presidential elections for a single-round system. His nearest rival, veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, was on 33 per cent when the last figures were released late Tuesday. Tshisekedi rejected partial results showing Kabila in the lead, and his Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) has called for the election commission to release results polling centre by polling centre. International observers have have asked for greater transparency. The conflict-prone country has been on edge as it awaits the outcome of the November 28 polls. The announcement, originally scheduled for Tuesday but postponed 48 hours by election officials, has created trepidation after a campaign marred by street fights between rival parties and deadly police crackdowns on opposition supporters. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 And his opponent is in lockdown. |
| Posted by: newc 2011-12-09 00:06 |