DRC president declared election winner as opposition cries foul

The president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Felix Tshisekedihas been re-elected for a second term, the country’s election commission has said after a vote that opposition candidates condemned as a sham.

Announcing the results on Sunday in the capital, Kinshasa, Denis Kadima, the head of DRC’s national election commission, said Tshisekedi had been elected with 73.34% of the vote.

Turnout in the election held earlier this month was more than 43%, Kadima said.

A group of DRC’s main opposition presidential candidates asked supporters earlier on Sunday to protest after the release of the provisional results.

“We categorically reject the sham elections … and its results,” they said in a joint declaration. They demanded fresh elections be held with a new electoral body on a date to be agreed by all.

“We call on our people to take to the streets en masse after the proclamation of the electoral fraud,” they said.

The government has previously rejected calls for a rerun.