DRC Presidential Poll : Early Official Results Awaited Next Sunday

Electoral authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC say they will announce preliminary results from the December 30, 2018 general election on January 6, 2019. Meanwhile, the National Episcopal Conference of the Democratic Republic of Congo, CENCO, on December 31, 2018 said voting went on in “relative calm,” Radio France International, RFI reported.  

Basing its assessment on more than 40,000 observers’ reports, CENCO said 85 per cent of polling boxes were opened in the presence of relevant stakeholders before voting counting began. But less than half of the polling stations had returning and result sheets. The Catholic Bishops regretted that in some areas, filled result sheets were not posted in polling stations at the end of vote counting. CENCO also noted that in about 500 polling stations, results from manual count and those generated by voting machines did not match.

It expressed displeasure at the fact that the Independent National Electoral Commission, CENI, was not forthcoming on the 176 locations were election results were being compiled. Across the country, voting went on late into the night because some polling stations did not open on time. In Kisangani in the East of the country, there were claims that certain polling stations closed, leaving waiting voters in queues. It was after these crowds reportedly protested that the polling stations were reopened and the people we...