2018 Democratic Republic of the Congo general election

General elections were held in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on 30 December 2018, to determine a successor to President Joseph Kabila,[1] as well as for the 500 seats of the National Assembly and the 715 elected seats of the 26 provincial assemblies.[2] Félix Tshisekedi (UDPS) won with 38.6% of the vote, defeating another opposition candidate, Martin Fayulu, and Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, backed by the ruling party PPRD. Fayulu alleged that the vote was rigged against him in a deal made by Tshisekedi and outgoing President Kabila, challenging the result in the DRC's Constitutional Court. Different election observers, including those from the country's Roman Catholic Church, also cast doubt on the official result. Nonetheless on 20 January the Court rejected his appeal and declared Tshisekedi as the winner.[3] Parties supporting President Kabila won the majority of seats in the National Assembly.[4] Félix Tshisekedi was sworn in as the 5th President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on 24 January 2019, making it the first peaceful transition of power in the country since it became independent from Belgium in 1960.[5]

2018 DR Congo general election

30 December 2018
 
Nominee Félix Tshisekedi Martin Fayulu Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary
Party UDPS DO Independent
Alliance Heading for Change (CACH) Lamuka Common Front for Congo (FCC)
Popular vote 7,051,013 6,366,732 4,357,359
Percentage 38.6% 34.8% 23.8%

President before election

Joseph Kabila
PPRD

Elected President

Félix Tshisekedi
UDPS

According to the constitution, the second and final term of President Kabila expired on 20 December 2016.[6] General elections were originally scheduled for 27 November 2016, but were delayed with a promise to hold them by the end of 2017.[7] This promise was subsequently broken, but after both international and internal pressure the elections were finally scheduled for 23 December 2018. They were, however, postponed for a week on 30 December 2018 due to a fire in the electoral commission's warehouse in Kinshasa destroying 8,000 electronic voting machines.[8]

Incumbent President Kabila was constitutionally ineligible for a third term.[9] He and his party, the People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy, supported the candidacy of Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, the former Minister of the Interior,[10] who formally ran as an independent candidate. In opposition to Shadary's candidacy, seven opposition leaders, including Jean-Pierre Bemba and Moïse Katumbi, nominated Martin Fayulu as their candidate for president.[11] However, Félix Tshisekedi and Vital Kamerhe soon after broke this agreement and agreed that Tshisekedi should run for president while Kamerhe would serve as his campaign manager and become Prime Minister if he won. They also agreed that Tshisekedi and his party will back a candidate from Kamerhe's Union for the Congolese Nation in the 2023 presidential elections.[12]

Preliminary results were scheduled to be announced on 6 January 2019, with the final result on 15 January and the inauguration of the next president on 18 January.[13] However, it was later announced on 5 January that the publication of preliminary results would be delayed, as less than half of the votes have been obtained by the election commission.[14] On 10 January the election commission declared Félix Tshisekedi, leader of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress opposition party, as the winner of the election.[15] Martin Fayulu, who came in second, has claimed that the election was rigged and that he will challenge the result in the DRC's Constitutional Court.[16][17] The country's influential Roman Catholic Church, which deployed 40,000 election monitors, has also said the official result does not align with its observations, which place Fayulu as the winner.[18] On 12 January it became known that parties supporting Joseph Kabila won the majority of seats in the National Assembly.[4] The Constitutional Court announced on January 14 that it would review Fayulu's appeal of the result,[19] and would make a ruling on January 19.[20] On January 19, the Constitutional Court rejected Fayulu's challenge of the election results, upholding Tshisekedi's victory. Fayulu claims to be the "legitimate" president and has called for protests.[21][22]

While Tshisekedi had won the election, parties aligned with Kabila secured a majority in the National Assembly and later in the Senate during the March 2019 Senate election. Because of this Tshisekedi's ability to implement policies or appoint a new Prime Minister were limited, and while negotiations have been ongoing to form a new government the President has been working with the former cabinet of Kabila.[23][24] It was not until 20 May 2019 that he appointed Kabila ally and career bureaucrat Sylvestre Ilunga as his designate for Prime Minister.[25][26][27] The parliamentary majority faction and President Tshisekedi came to an agreement on forming a new government by July 27, 2019, choosing the 65 members of the new cabinet. Out of those, 42 posts went to Common Front for Congo-aligned candidates, while 23 went to the Heading for Change coalition (Tshisekedi's alliance).[28][29] The new Ilunga government formally took office in late August 2019.[30][31]

Background

On 29 September 2016, the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) announced that the elections would not be held until early 2018. According to CENI's vice president, the commission "hasn't called elections in 2016 because the number of voters isn't known."[32] The announcement came ten days after deadly protests against Kabila in Kinshasa saw 17 people killed. The opposition alleged that Kabila intentionally delayed the elections to remain in power.[6]

An agreement reached with the opposition in December 2016 allowed Kabila to stay in office with a requirement to hold elections by the end of 2017. However, on 7 July 2017, CENI President Corneille Nangaa said it would not be possible to organize presidential elections by the end of the year.[33] Opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi condemned the announcement on Twitter, saying Nangaa had "declared war on the Congolese people."[34]

In November 2017 CENI announced that elections will be held in December 2018,[35] after previously claiming earlier that month that elections could not be held until April 2019 due to the difficulties of registering voters in a country with underdeveloped infrastructure.[36] Prime Minister Bruno Tshibala confirmed in March 2018 that the election will occur in December 2018.[37]

According to the UN a total of 47 people had been killed at protests against President Kabila during this period, which occurred throughout 2017 and into 2018.[38][39]

According to Human Rights Watch, government security forces used live rounds to disperse crowds of opposition supporters throughout August 2018, stating that the total death toll by then since 2015 was 300 people. HRW also documented attempts by the Congolese government to persecute members of the opposition, such as banning Moïse Katumbi from entering the country and forcefully dispersing a rally in support of Jean-Pierre Bemba.[40]

In late December, the government further delayed voting in three cities until 31 March 2019. Those include Beni and Butembo in North Kivu province, due to the 2018 Ebola outbreak as well as the ongoing military conflict, and Yumbi in the western Mai-Ndombe province, where about 900 people were killed throughout December by inter-ethnic violence. In all other regions it will still take place as scheduled on 30 December. This was criticized as these regions are known as opposition strongholds.[41][42][43][44]

Electoral system

President Joseph Kabila casting his vote on 30 December 2018

According to Article 71 of the DRC Constitution, the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is elected by plurality vote in one round. Article 72 specifies that the requirements to stand as a candidate for the presidency are being a Congolese citizen and at least thirty years old.[45][46]

Article 101 of the Constitution provides the basis for electing a National Assembly.[45] The 500 members of the National Assembly are elected by two methods; 60 are elected from single-member constituencies using first-past-the-post voting, and 440 are elected from 109 multi-member constituencies by open list proportional representation, with seats allocated using the largest remainder method to all lists gathering more than 1% of the valid votes.[47]

For the first time, electronic voting machines were used in a Congolese election. This has raised concerns about vote-rigging, particularly after a warehouse fire in Kinshasa destroyed 8,000 voting machines, which represent more than two-thirds of the voting machines that had been planned to be used in the city.[48][49]

Candidates

In total, 21 candidates were approved for the presidential contest, and some 34,900 candidates were approved to run for the 500 national and 715 provincial assembly seats.[2]

On 25 May 2018, businessman and former governor of Katanga Province Moïse Katumbi discussed with fellow opposition presidential candidate Félix Tshisekedi, son of the late opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, at the Atlantic Council about fielding a single opposition candidate.[50] In early September 2018, he again called on the opposition to unite behind a single candidate.[51]

As of August 2018, the country's Independent National Electoral Commission was reviewing candidates.[10] A preliminary list of candidates, including 25 names, was published on 10 August 2018. Another list was published on 24 August, and the final one was published on 19 September.[52]

On 3 September, the Constitutional Court of the DRC upheld the national election commission's decision to ban six potential candidates from taking part in the election, including opposition leader Jean-Pierre Bemba.[53][54]

Disqualified candidates

Opinion polls

Opinion polling is rare in the Democratic Republic of the Congo due to poor roads and lack of electricity.[58] Nevertheless, the Congo Research Group (CRG) released a poll in October 2016 of 7,545 respondents in the country's 26 provinces. The poll found that 33% would vote for Katumbi, 18% for Etienne Tshisekedi, and 7.8% for Kabila.

A May 2017 poll of 7,500 respondents carried out by CRG/BERCI found that 38% would vote for Katumbi, 10% for Kabila, 5% each for Félix Tshisekedi, Vital Kamerhe and Jean-Pierre Bemba, 24% for other candidates, and 13% would not vote.[59]

A March 2018 poll carried out by the CRG showed Katumbi obtaining 26%, Tshisekedi with 14%, Adolphe Muzito and Kamerhe tied at 9%, Kabila with 7%, and Augustin Mataya Ponyo and Aubin Minaku with 3% each.[60]

A June 2018 Top Congo FM poll amongst opposition supporters showed Katumbi winning 54% of the opposition's vote, with Kamerhe at 34%, Bemba at 7%, and Tshisekedi at 5%.[61]

In October 2018, the Congo Research Group released a poll that showed Tshisekedi winning 36% of the overall vote, with Kamerhe winning 17%, Shadary winning 16%, and Fayulu winning 8%, with 5% undecided or not voting. The remaining votes went to minor candidates.[62]

Post-voting process

On the afternoon of 31 December 2018, the NetBlocks internet observatory reported regional internet disruptions in Kinshasa and Lubumbashi and the subsequent loss of connectivity across the DRC.[63][64] The signal of Radio France Internationale, the country's most popular news source, was also blocked with a spokesman stating that the restrictions were implemented by Congolese authorities to prevent the spread of "fictitious results" published on social media and maintain order.[13][65] The following day, representatives of the U.S., European Union, Swiss and Canadian missions in Kinshasa urged the DRC to restore Internet access.[66]

On 2 January 2019, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and African Union (AU) observation missions stated that the voting went "relatively well" and was peaceful, despite the logistical problems in the DRC.[13]

The Catholic Church in the DRC, which deployed 40,000 election observers, announced on 3 January that by their observations it was clear who the winner of the election was. A government spokesman condemned the Church's statement as "irresponsible and anarchic."[67][68] Western diplomatic sources speaking with Church officials reported that they identified Martin Fayulu as the winner with 60% of the votes.,[69][70] However, Rev. Donatien Nshole, the church's secretary general, later retracted the church's allegations following a meeting with Kabila on 8 January, claiming that "we said there was a winner but we did not mention any name nor give any figures."[71] Nshole also said that the church now would trust Kabila to lead any transition of power, claiming "he insisted on the fact that he wants to maintain peace and unity...we want the same."[71]

On 4 January, United States President Donald Trump deployed 80 U.S. troops to the nearby country of Gabon to stand by in case violence broke in the DRC over the election results.[72] On 9 January, the U.S. embassy in Kinshasa warned American citizens to leave the country due to possible election-related violence.[73]

On 5 January, election commission chairman Cornielle Nangaa announced that preliminary results would not be announced on the scheduled date of 6 January, as the commission had only received less than half of the ballots.[14] The following day this was confirmed and no date was given for the publication of the preliminary results, which was criticized by members of the opposition.[74][75] On 8 January, Kabila adviser Kikaya Bin Karubi denied an allegation made by two aides of Felix Tshisekedi which claimed that Tshisekedi was the presumed winner and that Kabila officials had been meeting with aides of Tshisekedi since the end of the election so Kabila would hand power to Tshisekedi.[76][77]

Police in anti-riot gear were deployed in front of the electoral commission headquarters in Kinshasa on 9 January.[78] That same day, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and other members of SADC urged the Congolese government to finalize the results quickly.[79]

Announcement of results

In the early morning of the following day, 10 January 2019, after reading the results of over 700 candidacies for provincial elections from across the country, the commission announced Felix Tshisekedi as the winner of the presidential vote.[15] Barnabé Kikaya bin Karubi, an advisor to Joseph Kabila, had said that the President accepted the loss of the ruling party candidate Emmanuel Shadary.[80] Tshisekedi vowed to become "the president of all DR Congolese."[81] On 12 January, it became known that the majority of seats in the National Assembly were won by parties supporting Kabila. The Céni announced the names of the winning candidates, as well as the total of votes on the national level, but no further info. The announcement, initially scheduled for past the presidential election's appeal and oath, took place while the votes were still being compiled all over the country.[4][82]

Results

President

Candidate Party Votes %
Félix TshisekediUnion for Democracy and Social Progress7,051,01338.57
Martin FayuluDynamic of Congolese Political Opposition6,366,73234.83
Emmanuel Ramazani ShadaryIndependent4,357,35923.84
Jean-Philibert Mabaya Gizi AmineRainbow of Congo
Marie-Josée IfokuAlliance of Elites for a New Congo
Radjabho Tebabho SoboraboCongolese United for Reform
Pierre Honoré Kazadi Lukonda Ngube-NgubePeople's Front for Justice
Seth KikuniIndependent
Tryphon Kin-Kiey MulumbaIndependent
Charles LuntadilaIndependent
Sylvain Maurice MashekeIndependent
Joseph MalutaIndependent
Francis MvembaIndependent
Theodore Ngoy Ilunga wa NsengaIndependent
Alain Daniel ShekombaIndependent
Noel K Tshiani MuadiamvitaIndependent
Gabriel Mokia MandemboMovement of Congolese Democrats
Yves MpungaPremier Political Force
Samy BadibangaThe Progressives
Invalid/blank voted
Total18,329,318
Registered voters/turnout47.56
Source: Jeune Afrique[83]

National Assembly

Party or alliance Votes % Seats +/–
FPTP PR Total
Common Front for Congo 341
Lamuka Coalition 112
Heading for Change 47
Total18,329,31810062438500
Source: ElectionGuide[84]

Aftermath

Accusations of fraud

Second-place candidate Martin Fayulu claimed that the results were rigged later that day, stating "In 2006, Jean-Pierre Bemba's victory was stolen, in 2011, Étienne Tshisekedi's victory was stolen. In 2018 victory won't be stolen from Martin Fayulu." He also said he believes that President-elect Félix Tshisekedi and President Joseph Kabila made a secret agreement. According to foreign diplomatic sources, the Catholic Church had claimed that Fayulu was the winner, and both the SADC and African Union observation missions had also believed him to have been the winner.[16][85] The Catholic Church in the DRC made a statement questioning the result as well, stating that it did not align with their findings. Tshisekedi denied making any power-sharing agreement with Kabila or his ruling party.[18] Fayulu told the BBC that he will challenge the result in the Constitutional Court.[86]

On 11 January, Fayulu claimed he received 62% of the vote and said he would challenge the result in the country's Constitutional Court.[17] The Court could confirm Tshisekedi, order a recount, or cancel the results and call for new elections. But Fayulu admitted that he did not believe he would have any success, saying the court is "composed of Kabila's people." He also claimed that "Felix Tshisekedi has been nominated by Mr Kabila to perpetuate the Kabila regime. Because today the boss is Kabila." Tshisekedi's spokesman denied that there was any deal between them.[81] Fayulu officially filed a challenge to the results on 12 January.[87]

A joint investigation by the Financial Times and Radio France Internationale appeared to reveal that massive fraud occurred during the election. FT claimed on 15 January that its analysis of two separate collections of voting data, representing 86% of votes cast, show that Fayulu won the election with 59.4% of the vote while Tshisekedi and Shadary both got about 19%.[88][89]

Protests

Four people—two police officers and two civilians—were killed in the western city of Kikwit during protests.[90] The following day, 11 January, at least one protester was killed in Goma.[17] There were also reports of protests in Kisangani and Mbandaka.[81] More civilian and police casualties were reported as protests increased across the country, and thousands of military and Republican Guard troops were deployed to maintain order.[91]

On 18 January, the UN human rights office has said that 34 people have been killed, 59 wounded, and 241 arbitrarily arrested since the announcement of the provisional results on 10 January.[92]

International reactions

The governments of France and Belgium also issued statements questioning the official result. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian claimed that Fayulu was expected to be declared the winner. Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders also doubted the result, saying that Belgium would use its temporary UN Security Council seat to investigate the situation.[93] British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he was "very concerned about discrepancies" in the results.[94] In an official statement, Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres urged all parties to "refrain from violence" and "live up to their responsibility in preserving stability."[16] African Union leader Moussa Faki said that any disputes should be "resolved peacefully, by turning to the relevant laws".[81] The Southern African Development Community (SADC) called for the creation of a national unity government in DR Congo, a negotiated settlement by factions representing Kabila, Tshisekedi, and Fayulu, on January 13. The organisation also called for a vote recount.[95][96]

The United Nations Security Council issued a statement drafted by the French delegation urging all sides to respect the outcome of the vote on 15 January.[97]

Representatives of Russia and China stated that they oppose foreign interference in the DRC election.[98][99]

A number of African Union heads of state and government met in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on 17 January, issuing a statement that the organization had "serious doubts" about the provisional results and calling on the Congolese government to delay the release of the final results. The AU also stated that it would send a delegation to the DRC with "the view to reaching a consensus on a way out of the post-electoral crisis."[100][101] The delegation would include AU commission head Moussa Faki and AU chairman, the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame.[20]

The Congolese government rejected the AU's appeal to delay that announcement of the final results on 18 January, and that the announcement will be made after the Constitutional Court makes a decision. Government spokesman Lambert Mende stated that "I do not think anyone has the right to tell the court what to do. I am not under the impression (the AU) fully understands Congo's judicial process."[20][102]

After the Constitutional Court ruling upholding Tshisekedi's victory on 20 January, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa both sent their congratulations to Tshisekedi and recognized him as the next President.[103] AU spokeswoman Ebba Kalondo also issued a statement revealing that the AU agreed to postpone the DRC delegation talks.[104][105] Kalondo claimed “I can confirm to you that the trip has been postponed. Not canceled.”[105] Other African leaders, including Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the leaders of Tanzania and Burundi, congratulated Tshisekdi for his victory and also recognized him as the next President as well.[104][106] By January 22, the AU and EU had agreed to support Tshisekedi's Presidency as well.[107] On January 23, the United States agreed to support the court's certification of Tshisekdi's victory and also work with the incoming DRC President's government as well.[108]

Constitutional Court appeal

Fayulu officially filed a court case on 12 January.[87] The Constitutional Court announced on Monday, 14 January, that it would review Fayulu's and another candidate, Theodore Ngoy's, appeal the following day.[19] Proceedings began on 15 January and armed riot police were deployed outside the Palace of Justice in Kinshasa.[109] Lawyers representing Fayulu have said that the poll was rigged and have urged the Constitutional Court to order a recount.[89] A decision is due to be made by the Court on 18 January[101] or 19 January.[20] The Court confirmed early on 19 January to Agence France-Presse that the ruling would be made later that day.[110] The Court ruling rejected appeals for a recount, with the verdict declaring Tshisekedi "President of the Democratic Republic of Congo by simple majority."[111] Government spokesman Lambert Mende stated afterwards "Felix Tshisekedi will become the fifth president of the republic."[21][22][112]

After the ruling Fayulu claimed to be the "only legitimate president" and has called for mass protests. In a statement he said "The constitutional court has just confirmed that it serves a dictatorial regime ... by validating false results, (and enabling) a constitutional coup d'etat." Fayulu also called on the international community to not recognize this result. Hundreds of Tshisekedi supporters gathered outside of the court building.[21][111][112]

Post-court ruling

Following the ruling, on January 20 the government restored Internet access in the country, ending a 20-day shutdown of the Internet that began on 31 December 2018.[113]

On 21 January, the day after the Constitutional Court rejected Fayulu's appeal, it became known that Tshisekedi's scheduled inauguration date (22 January) may be delayed by two days until 24 January.[114] It was announced later that the inauguration was postponed, though no official reason was given. Police dispersed a crowd of Fayulu supporters who had gathered to hear him speak in front of his coalition's headquarters.[115] Nevertheless, the inauguration of Tshisekedi occurred on the rescheduled date of January 24, 2019.[116] In a speech Tshisekedi at the Palais de la Nation in Kinshasa called for a "reconciled country," and stated that "We want to build a strong Congo, turned towards its development, in peace and security – a Congo for all in which everyone has a place."[117][118] On 28 January the newly elected parliament began its first session.[119]

The overdue election for the Senate of the DRC occurred on 14 March 2019. Parties aligned with former President Kabila's Common Front for Congo (FCC) won a majority of Senate seats, giving them control of both the upper and lower house of the legislature and potentially making President Tshisekedi's attempts to reform the government more limited. The President's UPDS party won very few seats.[120][121][122] That same month elections took place for 23 provincial governors, most of them also won by FCC candidates.[23]

Several months into the Tshisekedi administration, by the start of May 2019 the President had not yet appointed a prime minister or a new cabinet.[24] On 20 May, it was announced that Tshisekedi and Kabila had reached a deal, deciding to appoint the career civil servant and Kabila ally Sylvestre Ilunga as Prime Minister. Due to the pro-Kabila parties having the majority in parliament, they have the constitutional power to nominate the candidate for the head of government.[25][26][27][123] On July 27, 2019, more than six months after the election the President and the parliament came to an agreement on forming a new government, beginning Ilunga's formal nomination process for Prime Minister.[28] Ilunga's new cabinet will include 65 members, of which 42 will go to FCC candidates. Notably, the ministries of Defense, Justice, and Finance will be controlled by the Kabila coalition.[29]

References

  1. Uncertainty as DRC sets election date to replace Kabila Al Jazeera, 9 November 2017
  2. Alia Chughtai, Hamza Mohamed (28 December 2018). Democratic Republic of the Congo: Elections 2018. Al Jazeera.
  3. African support grows for Tshisekedi as DR Congo president. New Zimbabwe. Published 21 January 2019.
  4. Tounsi, Samir (12 January 2019). Pro-Kabila camp wins DRC legislative poll, recount sought for presidency. Yahoo News.
  5. Opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi sworn in as DR Congo president. Al Jazeera. Published 24 January 2019.
  6. DR Congo election: 17 dead in anti-Kabila protests BBC News, 29 September 2016
  7. DR Congo sets elections for December 2018 African Medias, 5 November 2017
  8. "Présidentielle en RDC : la Ceni reporte les élections au 30 décembre 2018". Jeuneafrique.com. 20 December 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  9. DRC crisis: aide says Kabila not standing in elections The Guardian, 7 February 2018
  10. "Joseph Kabila says he will not run again in Congo". The Economist. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  11. "DR Congo opposition picks joint presidential candidate". Yahoo News. Agence France-Presse. 11 November 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  12. "Congo's Tshisekedi and Kamerhe form presidential pact". Reuters. 23 November 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  13. DR Congo election 'relatively well managed': SADC. Al Jazeera. Published 2 January 2019.
  14. "DR Congo delays announcing poll result". BBC. 5 January 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  15. Opposition candidate Felix Tshisekedi wins DR Congo presidential poll, says electoral commission. France 24. Published 10 January 2019.
  16. The Latest: Opposition candidate Fayulu denounces results. Associated Press. Published 10 January 2019.
  17. DRC opposition candidate Fayulu to file election result challenge. Al Jazeera. Published 11 January 2019.
  18. DR Congo presidential election: Church questions results. BBC. Published 10 January 2019.
  19. DR Congo court to examine election appeal from Tuesday. The East African. Published 14 January 2019.
  20. DR Congo rejects African Union demands to delay election results amid concerns over 'rigged vote'. The Telegraph. Published 18 January 2019.
  21. The Latest: Congo runner-up: Don't recognize Tshisekedi. ABC News. Published 19 January 2019.
  22. DR Congo top court upholds Tshisekedi presidential election win. France24. Published 19 January 2019.
  23. Tshisekedi seeks to assert authority over pro-Kabila governors. Channel News Asia, 13 May 2019
  24. DRC's Felix Tshisekedi still a president without a cabinet. Deutsche Welle, 3 May 2019
  25. DR Congo PM appointed under 'political agreement' with Kabila. Yahoo News, 20 May 2019
  26. DR Congo's Tshisekedi names new prime minister. France24, 20 May 2019
  27. New DRC Prime Minister Sylvestre Ilunga is a political and professor. Radio France International, 21 May 2019
  28. DR Congo rivals forge government pact 7 months after polls. News24, 27 July 2019
  29. DRC coalition gov't to include 65 members. Xinhua, 30 July 2019
  30. DR Congo names new government, save months after president inaugurated. France24, 26 August 2019
  31. DR Congo names new government after 7-month delay. Deutsche Welle, 26 August 2019
  32. Wilson, Thomas; Mbatha, Amogelgang (29 September 2016). "Congo Election Body Proposes Two-Year Wait for Presidential Vote". Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  33. Congo Election Commission: Vote Can't Be Held by End of Year The New York Times, 8 July 2017
  34. Felix A. Tshisekedi Twitter
  35. "Congo, Democratic Republic of the". The World Factbook. Langley, Virginia: Central Intelligence Agency. 17 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018. DRC Government has delayed national elections, originally slated for November 2016, to December 2018.
  36. Patient Ligodi, Amedee Mwarabu (5 November 2017). Congo sets presidential election for December 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  37. Congo presidential election on course for December, says prime minister. Standardmedia.ke. Published 8 March 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  38. DR Congo Faces Call For Standstill Over Protest Deaths. Channels Television. Published 9 March 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  39. Year of anti-Kabila protests in DR Congo leaves 47 dead: UN. Yahoo News. Published 19 March 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  40. DR Congo: Opposition Under Assault. Published 28 August 2018. Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  41. Mohamed, Hamza (26 December 2018). DR Congo election board delays vote in three cities. Al Jazeera.
  42. DR Congo: Nearly 900 killed in ethnic clashes last month, UN says. BBC. Published 16 January 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  43. Nearly 900 killed in ethnic violence in Congo in mid-December -UN. Reuters. Published 16 January 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  44. "RDC-Elections : La population de Beni, Butembo et Yumbi attendue devant les urnes ce dimanche 31 mars". JamboRDC. 30 March 2019.
  45. Constitution of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (PDF), 2005. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  46. Democratic Republic of the Congo IFES
  47. Electoral system IPU
  48. team, Reality Check (15 December 2018). "Why do voters mistrust electronic voting?". BBC News. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  49. Adebayo, Bukola (13 December 2018). "Fire destroys 8,000 voting machines 10 days ahead of Congo's presidential election". CNN. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  50. Kumar, Ashish. "Congolese Opposition Leaders Join Forces". Atlanticcouncil.org. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  51. Bemba disqualification expected: DRC opposition must unite – Katumbi. Africa News. 4 September 2018.
  52. 25 line up for DR Congo presidency. 12 August 2018.
  53. DR Congo's top court confirms Bemba's exclusion from presidential election. Africa News. 3 September 2018.
  54. All six banned DR Congo vote candidates appeal. 29 August 2018.
  55. "DR Congo bans former warlord Jean-Pierre Bemba's from presidential elections". The Independent. 25 August 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  56. DR Congo opposition rally behind exiled leader Katumbi. 10 March 2018.
  57. DR Congo presidential election on track – Prime Minister. 8 March 2018
  58. "Congolese oppose extension of Kabila's mandate, poll shows". Reuters. 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  59. CRG (23 May 2017). "CRG/BERCI public opinion poll: The Takeaway | Groupe d'Etude Sur le Congo". Congo Research Group. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  60. "RDC: Elections: des opposants en tête d'un sondage — La Libre Afrique". Afrique.lalibre.be. 2 March 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  61. "Moise Katumbi scores more than 50% votes in opinion polls – Mwebantu". Mwebantu.com. 15 June 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  62. "Elections 2018 : Redistribution des rapports de force politique" (PDF). Nouveau sondage GEC/BERCI: Redistribution des rapports de force politique | Groupe d'Etude Sur le Congo. Congo Research Group. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  63. "Evidence of internet shutdowns in DRC amid election unrest". NetBlocks. 31 December 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  64. "DRC authorities cut internet and broadcast signals after election". Committee to Protect Journalists. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  65. Burke, Jason (31 December 2018). DRC electoral fraud fears rise as internet shutdown continues. The Guardian.
  66. Western powers urge DR Congo to restore Internet. Daily Nation. Published 2 January 2019.
  67. 'Tense period': Pressure mounts as DR Congo awaits vote results. Al Jazeera. 5 January 2019.
  68. DR Congo election observers say setbacks kept many from voting. Al Jazeera. 3 January 2019.
  69. Freytas-Tamura, Kimiko de (4 January 2019). Opposition Leader Is Seen by Church as Winning Congo Vote. The New York Times.
  70. "The great election robbery - ProQuest". ProQuest 2171126848. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  71. "As Congo Delays Election Results, People's Suspicions Rise". VOA. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  72. David Choi. "Trump deploys 80 US troops to Gabon in case 'violent demonstrations' occur after contentious presidential election". Business Insider. Reuters. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  73. Embassy Warns Americans to Leave Congo. Voice of America. Published 9 January 2019.
  74. Armstrong, Mark (6 January 2019). DR Congo election results delayed. Euro News.
  75. DR Congo result delay: Voters 'must be patient'. BBC. Published 6 January 2019.
  76. "DRC poll hub: CENI ready with results, security high in Kinshasa". Africa News. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  77. "Congo police gather outside electoral commission". ABC News. 8 January 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  78. DR Congo opposition candidate Fayulu says results 'not negotiable'. BBC. Published 9 January 2019.
  79. SA, Zambia call for speedy finalisation of DRCongo vote result. The Citizen.South Africa Published 9 January 2019.
  80. Kabila accepts loss of party’s candidate in DRC elections, says advisor. Ewn.co.za. Published 10 January 2019.
  81. DR Congo election: Defeated candidate vows legal challenge. BBC. Published 11 January 2019.
  82. DR Congo: Ruling coalition wins legislative majority. Deutsche Welle. 12 January 2019.
  83. "RDC : Félix Tshisekedi élu président, selon les résultats provisoires". 10 January 2019.
  84. "DEC. 30, 2018 DR Congo election for Assemblée Nationale". ElectionGuide. IFES. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  85. Runner-up in Congo's presidential election dismisses results as an 'electoral coup'. Reuters. Published 10 January 2019.
  86. Keane, Fergal (10 January 2019). DR Congo poll: The divisive aftermath of Tshisekedi's victory. BBC.
  87. "DR Congo election: Candidate Martin Fayulu appeals against result". BBC News. 12 January 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  88. Tom Wilson, David Blood, and David Pilling (15 January 2019). Congo voting data reveal huge fraud in poll to replace Kabila. Financial Times. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  89. Huge election fraud revealed in DR Congo. France24. Published 17 January 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  90. 2 police, 2 civilians killed in DR Congo vote result protest. The East African. Published 10 January 2019.
  91. Burke, Jason (11 January 2019). Runner-up in Congo election says he beat official winner by wide margin. The Guardian.
  92. Dozens killed, wounded in wake of Congo election results - U.N.. Reuters. Published 18 January 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  93. France, Belgium cast doubt on DR Congo election result. Al Jazeera. Published 10 January 2019.
  94. The Latest: Police, military seen near Congo opposition area. The Miami Herald. 10 January 2019.
  95. DR Congo election: Sadc proposes unity government. BBC. Published 13 January 2019.
  96. Regional body SADC calls for DR Congo election vote recount. Al Jazeera. Published 14 January 2019.
  97. UN urges DR Congo to respect election outcome. France24. Published 15 January 2019.
  98. Foreign governments divided over Congo election fraud. Financial Times. Published 16 January 2019.
  99. Russia, China push UN to stay out of DR Congo poll dispute. France24. Published 11 January 2019.
  100. African Union urges DR Congo to delay final election results. BBC. Published 17 January 2019.
  101. African Union calls on DRC to delay election announcement. The Guardian. Published 17 January 2019.
  102. DR Congo slams African Union's call to suspend election result. Al Jazeera. Published 18 January 2019.
  103. DR Congo election: African leaders congratulate Tshisekedi. BBC. Published 20 January 2019.
  104. The Latest: AU 'postpones' urgent trip to Congo over vote Associated Press. Published 20 January 2019
  105. African Union postpones Congo talks on contested election Reuters. Published 20 January 2019
  106. Mnanagwa speaks on DRC ConCourt decision Bulawayo 24 News. Published 20 January 2019
  107. "EU, African Union signal support for contested Congo president-elect". Channel News Asia. 22 January 2018.
  108. "U.S. welcomes court certification of new Congo president". Reuters. 23 January 2019.
  109. DR Congo's top court begins hearing election appeal. Nation.co.ke. Published 15 January 2019.
  110. DRC poll hub: Court to give verdict on Fayulu's petition today. Africanews.com. Published 19 January 2019.
  111. Congo's Martin Fayulu declares himself president, top court sides with Felix Tshisekedi. Deutsche Welle. Published 20 January 2019.
  112. DR Congo court upholds Tshisekedi presidential election win. BBC. Published 19 January 2019.
  113. DR Congo internet restored after 20-day suspension over elections Al Jazeera. Published 20 January 2019.
  114. Swearing-in of DRC's Felix Tshisekedi 'may be postponed'. Nation.co.ke. Published 21 January 2019.
  115. Mwanamilongo, Saleh (21 January 2019). Congo Postpones Presidential Inauguration in Wake of Election Controversy. TIME Magazine. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  116. "Felix tshisekedi sworn in as democratic republic of congo's president, replacing joseph kabila". Reuters. 24 January 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  117. DR Congo: Tshisekedi takes office, but Kabila's legacy casts long shadow. France24. Published 24 January 2019.
  118. DRC President Tshisekedi sworn in during interrupted ceremony. Africa Times. Published 24 January 2019.
  119. After election upheaval, DR Congo inaugurates new parliament EWN, 28 January 2019
  120. Violence in DRC after president's party crushing senate defeat. France24. Published 16 March 2019.
  121. DRC ruling party fails to get Senate seat, Kabila coalition dominates. Africanews.com. Published 16 March 2019.
  122. DR Congo’s Ruling Party Demonstrates After Senatorial Elections. News Ghana. Published 18 March 2019.
  123. Experienced technocrat to head government of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Deutsche Welle, 21 May 2019

Media related to Democratic Republic of the Congo general election, 2018 at Wikimedia Commons

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.