- The Democratic Republic of Congo's Constitutional Court on Tuesday upheld the results of last month's presidential election.
- Controversial incumbent Félix Tshisekedi's victory was once again confirmed after the court rejected a petition by challengers to invalidate the vote.
- Approximately 18 million Congolese voters cast their votes in the election.
Congo's Constitutional Court on Tuesday upheld the results of last month's election, in which President Félix Tshisekedi was declared the winner, rejecting a petition by opposition candidates to have the vote invalidated.
“Mr. Tshisekedi Chilombo Félix Antoine has been elected president of the (Congo) by a majority of votes,” said Justice Kamuleta Badibanga Dieudonne, president of the Constitutional Court.
The court ruled that a petition by opposition candidate Theodore Ngoy to redo the vote was without merit. Ngoi received less than 1% of the vote, but was the only candidate to appeal.
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Tshisekedi is expected to take up his post at the end of January.
According to the Election Commission, approximately 18 million people voted in this election, with turnout exceeding 40%.
Congolese President Félix Shisekedi votes in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on Wednesday, December 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Mosaab Elshamy)
Tshisekedi won re-election with more than 70% of the vote, even as opposition candidates and their supporters questioned the validity of the results.
Voting was bogged down by logistical issues. Many polling places opened late or not at all. Some materials were missing, and many voter cards were unreadable due to smeared ink.
Congo has a history of conflictual elections that can escalate into violence, and many Congolese have little trust in the country's institutions. Before the results were announced last month, opposition candidates, including front-runner Moise Katumbi, said they rejected the results and called on people to rally.
In a statement earlier this month, Katumbi accused the electoral commission of planning chaos to maintain power and called for the commission's chairman to resign.
“His resignation is non-negotiable because he, more than anyone else, mismanaged the entire electoral process, which turned out to be nothing more than a sham,” Katumbi said.
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Neither he nor any other opposition candidates filed an appeal with the Constitutional Court, saying they did not trust it to govern independently.
