FOR the first time since independence, the opposition has been declared winner in DR Congo’s general election, with Felix Tshisekedi expected to become the next president, according to provisional results released by the country’s electoral commission.
President Joseph Kabila, who has ruled DR Congo for 18 years, is stepping down. His hand-picked choice for successor, Emmanuel Shadary, who ran by the ruling coalition’s ticket, has apparently lost.
Preliminary results show that Tshisekedi has 7,051,013 votes (38.57%), while Martin Fayului has 6,366,732 votes (34.83), and Emmanuel Shadary has 4,357,359 votes (23.84).
But insiders have confided to SAUTI KUBWA that the rightful winner was Martin Fayulu, not trusted by Kabila’s regime, fearing that he would take reprisals against the current rulers, ultimately triggering political unrest.
Negotiations between Kabila and Tshisekedi started last week after the ruling regime learnt of their huge loss and a danger that might befall the country in the event of them forcing their candidate into power.
The Episcopal Conference of the Catholic Church in the country, calling on the National Independent Electoral Commission to declare the rightful winner, had warned the commission and the government last week that the winner had been known, and that any attempt to rig the election in favour of the ruling regime would cause chaos in the country.
The exact figures are not yet out, but observers say the move to declare the winner in this style is meant to manage public anger and to avert havoc that would have occurred in the event of the opposition losing to Kabila’s unpopular choice.
To Kabila, this might be his safe exit, as well as a his soft move to appease the opposition and their supporters who had voted to get “Kabila and his men out of power.”
