DRC elections 'fraudulent'
2006-08-01 12:04
Nairobi - Opposition parties in the Democratic Republic of Congo have denounced parliamentary elections held on Sunday as "fraudulent" while international observers have given the polls a cautious thumbs-up, say reports.
Several presidential candidates accused incumbent President Joseph Kabila of vote-buying and irregularities in the distribution of voting cards.
Anneke Van Woudenberg, a Human Rights Watch international observer, said: "While serious questions can be raised in the run-up to the polls as to whether there was a level playing field for all candidates, it is too early to tell whether widespread rigging during voting was the order of the day."
Voter turnout 'reportedly high'
Meanwhile, initial reports from the country's Electoral Commission indicated that 60% of all votes from the vast country's 50 000 polling stations had been counted. Voter turnout was reportedly high and the first results were expected in three weeks.
In related news, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan hailed the polls as a "milestone in the country's peace process", but urged calm while election results were being counted.
The UN Security Council had renewed an arms embargo intended to deter arms sales to foreign and local armed groups in the volatile east of the country. The embargo had been extended until July 2007.
More than 25 million voters were eligible to elect a new president and parliament in the DRC's first multi-party polls in 45 years. Incumbent Joseph Kabila and vice-president Jean-Pierre Bemba were considered the favourites for the presidency.
The Congolese elections were the most expensive ever supported by the UN, costing the international community as much as $400m so far.
Sapa-dpa
- SAPA