Opposition candidate Martin Fayulu speaks to the press at his headquarters in Kinshasa, Congo, Thursday Jan. 10, 2019. Fayulu, who came second in the presidential poll behind Felix Tshisekedi, called the results fraudulent. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Opposition candidate Martin Fayulu speaks to the press at his headquarters in Kinshasa, Congo, Thursday Jan. 10, 2019. Fayulu, who came second in the presidential poll behind Felix Tshisekedi, called the results fraudulent. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — The Latest on Congo’s presidential election (all times local):

5:50 a.m.

Opposition candidate Martin Fayulu denounced the Congo election results as an “electoral hold up” that were “rigged, fabricated and invented” and do “not reflect the truth of the ballots.” He called on the Congolese people to “raise as one men to protect victory.”

Fayulu also called on the Catholic Church to release the results it got from its team of 40,000 observers who recorded voting tallies posted at each of the polling centers. Last week, the Catholic Church said their observations showed a clear winner.

Several diplomats briefed on the matter confirmed to The Associated Press that the figures compiled by the Catholic Church showed that Fayulu won an absolute majority of the votes. Two diplomats also said that all major observation missions, including from the African Union and the Southern African Development Community, showed similar results with Fayulu the winner.

“How long are we going to negotiate results?” asked Fayulu, of what he said was a deal made to declare Tshisekedi the winner. “In 2006, Jean-Pierre Bemba’s victory was stolen, in 2011 Étienne Tshisekedi’s victory was stolen. In 2018 victory won’t be stolen from Martin Fayulu.”

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4:15 a.m.

A spokesman says the United Nations secretary-general “takes note” of the results of Congo’s presidential election.

Congo’s electoral commission, in a surprise for many, announced that opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi won with 38 percent of the vote.

The opposition candidate who led in polls and had pledged to combat Congo’s widespread corruption, Martin Fayulu, is expected to comment to reporters shortly.

The streets of the capital, Kinshasa, an opposition stronghold, are now quiet after a burst of celebration by people outside the electoral commission’s offices.

The U.N statement calls on all parties to “refrain from violence” and “live up to their responsibility in preserving stability.”

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3:30 a.m.

Scores of Congolese are dancing and cheering outside the electoral commission at 3:30 in the morning after opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi was declared the winner of the presidential election.

This is the first time the vast country has seen a peaceful, democratic transfer of power since independence from Belgium in 1960.

The election had been delayed for more than two years as many Congolese worried that President Joseph Kabila would try to stay in power.

Tshisekedi is the son of late opposition leader Etienne but is relatively unknown and untested. Speculation swirled this week that Kabila’s government sought to make a deal as hopes faded for a ruling party win.

The opposition leader and corruption fighter who had led in polling, Martin Fayulu, finished second in the vote.

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3:10 a.m.

Congo’s electoral commission says opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi has won the presidential election as the vast country braces for possible protests over alleged rigging.

Tshisekedi, who received more than 7 million votes, had not been widely considered the leading candidate. Some observers have suggested that President Joseph Kabila’s government sought to make a deal as hopes faded for a win for ruling party candidate Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary. Shadary received more than 4 million votes.

It is not immediately clear whether opposition candidate Martin Fayulu, who led in polling and warned against manipulation, will contest the results. The constitutional court has 14 days to validate them. Fayulu received more than 6 million votes.

Tshisekedi, son of late opposition icon Etienne yet relatively unknown, has achieved what his father pursued for decades.

The delayed results come after international pressure to announce an outcome that reflected the will of the people. Election observers had reported numerous irregularities.

Kabila has ruled since 2001 in the troubled nation rich in the minerals key to smartphones around the world. This could be Congo’s first peaceful, democratic transfer of power since independence in 1960.

___

2 a.m.

Congo’s electoral commission has begun announcing election results — starting with the names of hundreds of people who won provincial deputy seats.

The already delayed process could take hours before reaching the results of the presidential election.

Residents of the capital, Kinshasa, are still watching the live broadcast on state television long after midnight.

The vast country voted on Dec. 30 for a successor to President Joseph Kabila, who has ruled since 2001. The opposition and activist groups have warned of protests if the results do not match “the truth of the ballot boxes.”

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12:10 a.m.

Congo has marked midnight as the country waits for the delayed announcement of the results of the presidential election.

State television shows a noisy room where the electoral commission had been expected to make an announcement an hour ago.

Congolese activist groups have urged people to “be ready to massively take to the streets” if the commission does not publish results in accordance with “the truth of the ballot boxes.”

Congo on Dec. 30 voted for a successor to departing President Joseph Kabila. The delay in announcing results has led some Congolese to suspect possible manipulation in favor of the ruling party.

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5:45 p.m.

The United States is giving its citizens in Congo succinct advice: “Depart the country.”

A new U.S. Embassy security alert says Congo’s electoral commission is soon expected to announce results of the presidential election. It warns of possible crowds gathering to hear the results.

Congolese activist groups have urged people to “be ready to massively take to the streets” if the commission does not publish results in accordance with “the truth of the ballot boxes.”

Congo on Dec. 30 voted for a successor to departing President Joseph Kabila. The delay in announcing results has led some Congolese to suspect possible manipulation in favor of the ruling party.

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5:10 p.m.

Congo’s electoral commission says “everything is ready” for provisional results of the presidential election to be announced today.

Spokeswoman Marie-France Idikayi tells The Associated Press that “we are waiting for the final deliberations of the electoral commission plenary session to end but the announcement room is prepared.”

State television is in place to broadcast the results. Anti-riot police with water cannon are outside the building.

Congo on Dec. 30 voted for a successor to departing President Joseph Kabila. Congolese activist groups are urging people to “be ready to massively take to the streets” if the commission does not publish results in accordance with “the truth of the ballot boxes.”

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3 p.m.

Congolese activist groups are urging people to “be ready to massively take to the streets” if the electoral commission does not publish presidential election results in accordance with “the truth of the ballot boxes.”

A statement by more than 300 organizations also alleges that electoral commission president Corneille Nangaa has been instructed by President Joseph Kabila’s government to publish results from electronic transmission instead of from manual counting.

Carbone Beni with the Filimbi movement asserts that the manual court shows that the ruling party’s candidate did not win.

Nangaa has blamed the delay in announcing results on the opposition’s insistence on manual counting. Congo’s first use of electronic voting machines in the Dec. 30 election led to widespread concern that they could be used to manipulate results.

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2:15 p.m.

The presidents of South Africa and Zambia are urging Congo’s electoral commission to “speedily” complete vote-counting and announce the delayed results of the Dec. 30 presidential election.

The statement released by South Africa’s foreign ministry reflects pressure on Congo by regional powers who don’t want to see the vast Central African nation return to widespread violence.

The statement says South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Zambian President Edgar Lungu warn that the delay in releasing results “can lead to suspicions and compromise peace and stability of the country.”

Congo’s electoral commission is meeting to discuss the results and could announce them as early as Wednesday. Anti-riot police are positioned outside.

Congo’s government has rejected Western pressure over the long-delayed election, calling it interference.

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11:55 a.m.

Anti-riot police with water cannon and armored vehicles are outside Congo’s electoral commission ahead of the announcement of the first results of the presidential election.

Residents of the capital, Kinshasa, say the heavy security presence is a bad sign.

Resident John Kabamba says it “may be a message that the publication (of the results) won’t meet the expectations of the Congolese people.”

The first results could be announced as early as Wednesday.

Congo on Dec. 30 voted for a successor to departing President Joseph Kabila. He backs ruling party candidate Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, who is under European Union sanctions.

Leading opposition candidate Martin Fayulu has urged the electoral commission to announce the true results as quickly as possible and warned it not to “play with fire, it is very dangerous.” </s> Democratic Republic of Congo opposition leader Martin Fayulu said Friday he will challenge the official election result at the country’s constitutional court, as one of his campaign aides claimed his candidate had won in a landslide.

Preliminary results announced early Thursday by Congo’s electoral commission said another opposition leader, Felix Tshisekedi, had come first in the Dec. 30 presidential election with 38.6% of the vote. </s> KINSHASA (Reuters) - Losing Democratic Republic of Congo presidential candidate Martin Fayulu said on Friday he would challenge the election results in country’s highest court on Saturday at 9 a.m. (0800 GMT).

The national electoral commission on Thursday declared another opposition leader, Felix Tshisekedi, the winner of the Dec. 30 election, but Fayulu’s campaign says its tallies show that Fayulu won a landslide victory. </s> KINSHASA, Congo (AP) - The Latest on Congo's presidential election results. All times local:

Opposition candidate Martin Fayulu denounced the Congo election results as an "electoral hold up" that were "rigged, fabricated and invented" and do "not reflect the truth of the ballots." He called on the Congolese people to "rise as one man to protect victory."

Fayulu also called on the Catholic Church to release the results it got from its team of 40,000 observers who recorded voting tallies posted at each of the polling centers. Last week, the Catholic Church said their observations showed a clear winner.

Several diplomats briefed on the matter confirmed to The Associated Press that the figures compiled by the Catholic Church showed that Fayulu won an absolute majority of the votes. Two diplomats also said that all major observation missions, including from the African Union and the Southern African Development Community, showed similar results with Fayulu the winner.

"How long are we going to negotiate results?" asked Fayulu, of what he said was a deal made to declare Tshisekedi the winner. "In 2006, Jean-Pierre Bemba's victory was stolen, in 2011 Étienne Tshisekedi's victory was stolen. In 2018 victory won't be stolen from Martin Fayulu."

Congo opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi has been declared winner of the long-delayed, disorganized and controversial presidential election, in an announcement by the electoral commission early Thursday that surprised many, as the vast country braced for possible protests over alleged rigging.

Tshisekedi, who received more than 7 million votes, or 38 percent, according to the official results, had not been widely considered the leading candidate and is relatively untested. The son of late opposition leader Etienne, who pursued Congo's presidency for many years, he startled Congolese shortly before the election by breaking away from an opposition effort to unite behind a single candidate.

Tshisekedi's victory was quickly denounced by opposition leader Martin Fayulu, who claimed the results were rigged. Fayulu denounced the results as an "electoral hold up" and urged protests.

Kinshasa resident watch the preliminary results of the elections broadcast on a television in Kinshasa, Congo, Thursday Jan. 10, 2019. As Congo anxiously awaits the outcome of the presidential election, many in the capital say they are convinced that the opposition won and that the delay in announcing results is allowing manipulation in favor of the ruling party. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) </s> Mathilde Boussion, Saleh Mwanamilongo and David Keyton, The Associated Press 

 



KINSHASA, Congo -- Congo opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi has been declared the winner of the long-delayed, disorganized and controversial presidential election, in an announcement by the electoral commission early Thursday that surprised many, as the vast country braced for possible protests over alleged rigging.

Tshisekedi, who received more than 7 million votes, or 38 per cent according to the electoral commission's results, had not been widely considered the leading candidate and is relatively untested. The son of late opposition leader Etienne, who pursued Congo's presidency for many years, he startled Congolese shortly before the election by breaking away from an opposition effort to unite behind a single candidate.

Tshisekedi's victory was quickly contested by opposition leader Martin Fayulu, who charged the results were rigged.

Fayulu denounced the results as an "electoral hold up" that were "rigged, fabricated and invented" and do "not reflect the truth of the ballots." Speaking to the press shortly after the results were announced, Fayulu called on the Congolese people to "rise as one man to protect victory."

Fayulu, who vowed in his campaign to to clean up Congo's widespread corruption, received more than 6 million votes, or 34 per cent, of the electoral commission's results. He claims that he won a majority of the votes and that he was deprived of victory because a deal was made with Tshisekedi.

"How long are we going to negotiate results?" said Fayulu. "In 2006, Jean-Pierre Bemba's victory was stolen, in 2011 Etienne Tshisekedi's victory was stolen. In 2018 victory won't be stolen from Martin Fayulu."

Fayulu urged the Catholic Church to release the results from its team of 40,000 observers who recorded voting tallies posted at each of the polling centres. Last week, the Catholic Church said their observations showed a clear winner, and many say that was Fayulu.

Several diplomats briefed on the matter told The Associated Press that the figures compiled by the Catholic Church showed that Fayulu won an absolute majority of the votes. Two diplomats also said that all major observation missions, including from the African Union and the Southern African Development Community, showed similar results with Fayulu the winner. The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.

Some observers suggested that President Joseph Kabila's government made a deal with Tshisekedi to declare him the winner, as hopes faded for ruling party candidate Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, who received just 23 per cent of the official results.

The constitutional court has 14 days to validate them.

The election may enable Congo to achieve its first peaceful, democratic transfer of power since independence in 1960. Kabila has ruled since 2001 in the troubled nation rich in the minerals key to smartphones around the world and has amassed vast wealth. He is barred from serving three consecutive terms, but during more than two years of election delays many Congolese feared he'd find a way to stay in office.

"This is the coronation of a lifetime," the deputy secretary-general of Tshisekedi's party, Rubens Mikindo, said shortly after the announcement that his candidate had won, above the cheers at party headquarters. "This is the beginning of national reconciliation."

Scores of people in the capital, Kinshasa, danced after the election results were announced long after midnight, but observers waited to see how other Congolese would respond.

Fayulu, who once tweeted that "When the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn," was backed by two popular opposition figures barred from running, former Vice-President Jean-Pierre Bemba and former governor Moise Katumbi. Fayulu, a former Exxon manager and Kinshasa lawmaker, accused the government of impeding his campaign by blocking flights and assaulting his supporters, which Kabila dismissed.

Attention now turns to Congo's powerful Catholic church and whether it will dispute the official results.

If the church found Fayulu won, "how will population react?" Stephanie Wolters, analyst with the Institute for Security Studies, posted on Twitter ahead of the announcement. She added, will the African Union "consider a power transfer 'enough' or will they push for investigation and real result?"

The delayed results came after international pressure to announce an outcome that reflected the will of the people. The United States threatened sanctions against officials who rigged the vote.

The largely peaceful election was marred by the malfunctioning of many voting machines that Congo used for the first time. Dozens of polling centres opened hours late as materials went missing. And in a last-minute decision, some 1 million of the country's 40 million voters were barred from participating, with the electoral commission blaming a deadly Ebola virus outbreak.

Defiantly, tens of thousands of voters in one of the barred communities held their own ballot on election day. Fayulu won easily.

Congo's government cut internet service the day after the vote to prevent speculation on social media. As the electoral commission met this week, anti-riot police moved into place outside.

Some Congolese weary of Kabila's 18-year rule, two turbulent years of election delays and years of conflict that killed millions of people said they simply wanted peace. Some said they would be happy as long as Fayulu or Tshisekedi won, while recalling the violence that followed past disputed elections.

Many Congolese objected to Shadary, suspecting that Kabila would continue to rule from behind the scenes.

Now Congo faces a new leader who is little known after spending many years in Belgium and living in the shadow of his outspoken father.

The 56-year-old Tshisekedi took over as head of Congo's most prominent opposition party in early 2018, a year after his father's death.

Some Congolese have said Tshisekedi lost support by splitting the opposition. He was less visible in campaigning than Fayulu and did not make himself available to reporters after the vote. As he cast his ballot, he accused Congo's government of deliberately creating a mess to spark a court challenge that could allow Kabila to extend his time in power.

"I deplore all the disorder," Tshisekedi said. </s> The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — The Latest on Congo’s presidential election results. All times local:

Supporters of opposition candidate Felix Tshisekedi took to the streets of Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, Thursday morning to celebrate his win in the presidential election, that was announced by the electoral commission.

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The candidate of Congo’s ruling party, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, who came third in the official results, has through his spokeswoman congratulated the winner, Felix Tshisekedi. Me Aime Kilolo, spokeswoman for Shadary, said the electoral commission’s announcement of Tshisekedi as the winner was “the will of the people.” She said Shadary would make a statement on the results in a few hours.

Opposition candidate Martin Fayulu denounced the Congo election results as an “electoral hold up” that were “rigged, fabricated and invented” and do “not reflect the truth of the ballots.” He called on the Congolese people to “rise as one man to protect victory.”

Fayulu also called on the Catholic Church to release the results it got from its team of 40,000 observers who recorded voting tallies posted at each of the polling centers. Last week, the Catholic Church said their observations showed a clear winner.

Several diplomats briefed on the matter confirmed to The Associated Press that the figures compiled by the Catholic Church showed that Fayulu won an absolute majority of the votes. Two diplomats also said that all major observation missions, including from the African Union and the Southern African Development Community, showed similar results with Fayulu the winner.

“How long are we going to negotiate results?” asked Fayulu, of what he said was a deal made to declare Tshisekedi the winner. “In 2006, Jean-Pierre Bemba’s victory was stolen, in 2011 Étienne Tshisekedi’s victory was stolen. In 2018 victory won’t be stolen from Martin Fayulu.”

Congo opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi has been declared winner of the long-delayed, disorganized and controversial presidential election, in an announcement by the electoral commission early Thursday that surprised many, as the vast country braced for possible protests over alleged rigging.

Tshisekedi, who received more than 7 million votes, or 38 percent, according to the official results, had not been widely considered the leading candidate and is relatively untested. The son of late opposition leader Etienne, who pursued Congo’s presidency for many years, he startled Congolese shortly before the election by breaking away from an opposition effort to unite behind a single candidate.

Tshisekedi’s victory was quickly denounced by opposition leader Martin Fayulu, who claimed the results were rigged. Fayulu denounced the results as an “electoral hold up” and urged protests.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards. </s> An opposition candidate has been declared winner of the contentious presidential election in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The electoral commission in the wee hours of Thursday declared Felix Tshisekedi winner of the country’s December 30 presidential election.

Now this news has been greeted with some surprise and in fact in what is the latest Martin Fayulu, another top opposition candidate, who had been tipped by many and thought to be in the early results lead has rejected the election results. </s> Congo's Constitutional Court early Sunday declared the election of Felix Tshisekedi as president, rejecting challenges to the vote by runner-up Martin Fayulu, who had alleged fraud.

Tshisekedi, son of the late, charismatic opposition leader Etienne, is now set to be inaugurated on Tuesday.

The declaration came shortly after the African Union in an unprecedented move asked Congo to delay announcing the final election results, citing "serious doubts" about the vote. It planned to send a high-level delegation on Monday to find a way out of the crisis, fearing unrest spilling across borders of the vast central African nation.

The court turned away Fayulu's request for a recount in the Dec. 30 vote. He had accused Congo's electoral commission of announcing results dramatically different from ones posted at polling stations around the country. Leaked data attributed to the commission shows that Fayulu easily won.

But the court said Fayulu did not put forward proof to back his claims.

Outside court, Fayulu's supporters have alleged that outgoing President Joseph Kabila made a backroom deal with the largely untested Tshisekedi once it became clear that the ruling party's candidate did poorly in the election. Neither party has acknowledged the accusations.

Congo, rich in the minerals key to smartphones around the world, is moving close to achieving its first peaceful, democratic transfer of power since independence in 1960.

But observers have warned that the court's upholding of the official results could lead to further unrest. At least 34 people have been killed since provisional results were released on Jan. 10, the United Nations has said.

There was no immediate reaction early Sunday from Tshisekedi, who has said little publicly since the election, or Fayulu. Many people in the courtroom erupted in cheers after the declaration, along with Tshisekedi supporters who had gathered outside.

The court could have ordered a recount or ordered a new election.

It called unfounded a challenge filed by another candidate, Theodore Ngoy, that objected to the electoral commission's last-minute decision to bar some 1 million voters from the election over a deadly Ebola virus outbreak.

The court said Tshisekedi won with more than 7 million votes, or 38 per cent, and Fayulu received 34 per cent. However, leaked data published by some media outlets, attributed to the electoral commission and representing 86 per cent of the votes, show that Fayulu won 59 per cent while Tshisekedi received 19 per cent.

Ahead of the court's decision, both Congo's government and Tshisekedi's party dismissed the AU's request to delay the final results.

Congo's government called it a matter for the court. Tshisekedi's party rejected the request outright.

The continental body's stance is "the work of some mining lobbies seeking to destabilize the Democratic Republic of Congo in order to perpetuate the looting of this country," the secretary-general of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress party, Jean-Marc Kabund, said in a statement.

He called on the Congolese people to mobilize and defend the mineral-rich country's sovereignty.

Ahead of the ruling, hundreds of Tshisekedi's supporters were in the streets of the capital, Kinshasa, waving tree branches and banners reading "Congo for the Congolese." </s> The Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC) losing presidential candidate Martin Fayulu has announced he would file a court challenge to the election results, with his camp announcing he had won 62 percent of the vote.

Campaign official Fidele Babala told reporters on Friday that Fayulu won 62 percent of the vote, while President-elect Felix Tshisekedi took 18.9 percent and ruling coalition candidate Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary received 18.5 percent.

Fayulu was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency that when "you know you are in the right, you are not allowed to remain home", as he urged his supporters to "rise up".

Fayulu will go to court on Saturday where he will present evidence which he hopes will prove his victory, Al Jazeera's Haru Mutasa, reporting from DRC's capital Kinshasa, said.

The DRC has been tense in the lead up to Thursday's announcement confirming Tshisekedi's win, with riot police deployed at the electoral commission headquarters in Kinshasa on Wednesday.

There have been isolated incidents of post-election violence around the nation of 80 million people. Police confronted opposition protesters in eastern Goma city on Friday, killing at least one person, a witness told Reuters.

Many fear the new dispute could re-start a cycle of unrest in a country where wars causing hunger and disease have decimated the population in recent decades.

Tshisekedi's victory raised the possibility of the first peaceful transfer of power in the DRC since it won independence from Belgium in 1960, but doubt has been cast over the election's outcome by the opposition and Western powers.

The influential Catholic Church has also rejected the official result based on tallies by its 40,000-strong observer team.

"We're not really hearing that much from neighbouring countries in particular," Mutasa continued, saying that many are suspicious of Western intentions, due to the long history of colonialism in the DRC.
Popular candidate Martin Fayulu, who came in second, claims the election was rigged and says he will challenge the result.