Foreign News

Tshisekedi Declared Winner Of Congo Election, Fayulu Cries Fraud

Published

6 years ago

January 10, 2019

Democratic Republic of Congo’s electoral commission today declared opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi the surprise winner of 30 December presidential election, a result that sets the stage for the country’s first democratic transfer of power.

But the runner up in the poll, Martin Fayulu dismissed the result as “a true electoral coup”.

“The results have nothing to do with the truth of the ballot box,” the second opposition candidate Martin Fayulu told Radio France International.

Tshisekedi won with 38.57 percent Republic of Congo’sercent of more than 18 million ballots cast, Corneille Nangaa, the president of the election commission (CENI), told a news conference at about 3 a.m. , that appeared timed to avoid any immediate reaction in the streets.

“Felix Tshisekedi Tshilombo is declared the provisionally- elected president of Democratic Republic of Congo,” Nangaa said, to a mixture of cheers and gasps inside CENI headquarters.

In the Kinshasa neighbourhood of Limete where Tshisekedi lives, thousands of people danced in the streets in celebration and cars slowed down and honked their horns.

Some chanted that Congo had “turned the page” on the Kabila era, which began in 1997 when Joseph Kabila’s father, Laurent, led a rebellion that overthrew longtime leader Mobutu Sese Seko. Joseph took over in 2001 when Laurent was assassinated.

If Tshisekedi’s victory is confirmed in the next 10 days by the constitutional court, he will become the first leader to take power at the ballot box since Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba, who was toppled in a coup less than three months after independence in 1960 and killed four months later.

The outcome of the contentious Dec. 30 poll is likely to be contested by Fayulu. Vote tallies by Congo’s Catholic church showed Fayulu as victor, according to two diplomats briefed on the findings.

Opposition fears that authorities would rig the vote in favour of Kabila’s hand-picked candidate, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, did not materialize as Shadary finished a distant third to Tshisekedi and Fayulu, with about 4.4 million votes.

However, the result, which observers said was marred by a spate of irregularities, is certain to fuel further suspicion among Fayulu’s supporters that Tshisekedi, shown by the last opinion polls before the election to be running well behind Fayulu, struck a power-sharing pact with Kabila.

Fayulu was backed by two prominent foes of Kabila, both of whom were barred from standing in the election. Kabila referred to one of them, ex-provincial governor Moise Katumbi, as “Judas” in a recent interview with local media.

Tshisekedi’s camp has acknowledged contacts since the vote with Kabila’s representatives but said they were aimed at ensuring a peaceful transition and denied there had been any kind of deal.

Tshisekedi is the son of the legendary Etienne Tshisekedi, who led opposition to three successive presidents over 35 years. Felix’s profile rose after his father died in 2017, soon after negotiating the terms of a transition period when Kabila refused to step down at the official end of his mandate the previous year.

Losing candidates can contest Tshisekedi’s victory before Congo’s constitutional court, which has 10 days to hear and rule on any challenges.

Any widespread perception the election has been stolen could set off a destabilising cycle of unrest, particularly in the volatile eastern borderlands where Fayulu enjoyed some of his strongest support.

The Catholic Church’s bishops conference said last week that it knew the identity of the winner and demanded that CENI publish accurate results. The Church did not say who it thought the winner was, but briefed diplomats on its conclusions.

Authorities cancel led voting on election day for more than one million people, saying the vote could not go ahead because of an Ebola outbreak and militia violence.

Observers said many polling stations opened late and closed early and in some places voting machines malfunctioned.

Related Topics:Republic of Congo Tshisekedi

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NiDCOM BOSS HAILS DR. ELENITOBA-JOHNSON ON HIS INDUCTION INTO THE US ACADEMY

Published

1 week ago

October 28, 2024

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NiDCOM BOSS HAILS DR. ELENITOBA-JOHNSON ON HIS INDUCTION INTO THE US ACADEMY

AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM

SPONSORED BY: H&H
Hon. Abike Dabiri- Erewa, Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has congratulated Dr. Kojo Elenitoba-Johnson on his induction into the US National Academy of Medicine (NAM), describing it as “an honour well- deserved”.

In a statement by Abdur- Rahman Balogun, Director of Media,Public Relations and Protocols, stated that Dr. Elenitoba- Johnson has yet achieved another ground breaking milestone in the Medical world globally.

Dabiri-Erewa described the honour as a demonstration of his outstanding professional achievement and unwavering commitment to service in the medical field.

She applauded his constant research and studies on ways of ameliorating the needs of his patients which has earned him this great honour, the highest honour in the field of health and medicine.

The NiDCOM boss urged Elenitoba- Johnson not to be relentless in the discharge of his duty and to keep making Nigeria proud as hard work pays, an example being the honour he just got.

She also prayed to God for protection and directions as he joins the League of Medical Professionals doing great things globally.

Dr. Kojo Elenitoba-Johnson, an international leader in the fields of Hematopathology and Molecular Genomic Pathology as well as a translational researcher also held leadership positions at the University of Utah, University of Michigan and University of Pennsylvania.

National Academy of Medicine (NAM) works alongside with the National Academy of sciences and National Academy of Engineering to provide independent objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions.

NAM members make a commitment to volunteer their services in National Academies activities.

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2 weeks ago

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Africa CDC Strengthens Laboratory Capacity for Mpox and Other Outbreaks in Burundi

Published

3 weeks ago

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and referral processes while ensuring biosafety and biosecurity practices. These outcomes are crucial for an effective response to mpox outbreaks and generally contribute to strengthening sample referral and biosafety and biosecurity measures in Burundi.

Africa CDC has also strengthened Burundi’s response to the ongoing mpox outbreak by donating critical equipment and materials.

The donation includes an Illumina MiniSeq sequencing system and reagents, a high-performance computer server, mpox qPCR testing kits, and other essential consumables.

In addition, the INSP team has been trained on molecular testing, sequencing, and interpretation of results.

“These resources provided, and skills built, will enhance the country’s molecular testing and sequencing capabilities, enabling accurate and timely detection and characterization of mpox cases and boosting the national testing and pathogen detection capacity,” said Dr. Yenew Kebede.