DRC poll officials arrested

2006-08-11 19:00

Kinshasa - At least four Democratic Republic of Congo election officials have been arrested in Kinshasa for electoral fraud, as 15 candidates complained of "massive irregularities" in polls, said legal sources on Friday.

The suspects are accused of trying to falsify documents recording results from the presidential election held 12 days ago in the central African country.

They were arrested on Wednesday and appeared in court on Thursday, according to one of the sources, who asked not to be named.

The officials all worked in a vote counting centre in Kinshasa where they were "caught red handed fixing vote documents", said the source.

The president of the independent electoral commission (IEC), Apollinaire Malu Malu, said an investigation had been launched to "clarify the situation".

Polls marred by open irregularities

Meanwhile 15 minor candidates in the presidential election issued a statement on Friday complaining of the international community's failure to act on what they called "massive irregularities".

"The elections of July 30 2006 were marred by open and massive irregularities all over the country," said the 15 candidates.

They outlined "numerous acts of fraud" including tampering with polling documents and bribing voters, and accused international bodies overseeing the elections of a "complicit silence" in the alleged irregularities.

Among the signatories are two government ministers, scientific research minister Gerard Kamanda, and Catherine Nzuzi wa Mbombo, in charge of solidarity and humanitarian affairs.

DRC voters went to the polls on July 30 to elect a president and members of parliament in the first democratic and free elections in the former Zaire in more than 40 years.

The relatively small number of results in so far shows incumbent President Joseph Kabila on 46.9% of the vote, well ahead of his nearest rival vice-president Jean-Pierre Bemba with 25.4%.

Results for the capital Kinshasa have not yet been posted.

- SAPA