Félix Tshisekedi has been appointed President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for a second term. The preliminary result was published on the afternoon of this Sunday, December 31st. The person seeking a second term won clearly with 73.34%. According to Céni, of the 41,700 million expected voters, 18 million actually took part in the vote, a participation rate of 43%.
With our correspondent in Kinshasa, Patient Ligodi
There was no tension for more than a week, given the trends published by the Céni.
According to information from the voting center on Sunday afternoon, the gap between Félix Tshisekedi and his direct pursuers is considerable. Moïse Katumbi is in second place with 18% or more than 3,200,000 votes.
The former governor performed well particularly in the southeastern part of the country, his region of origin, taking first place in five of the 26 provinces, including Lualaba, Haut-Lomami, Tanganyika and Haut-Katanga. The province of Maniema has also placed its trust in him.
Martin Fayulu, who came second in the 2018 presidential election, is in third place this time with only 960,400 votes, not exceeding the symbolic threshold of one million voters. The Céni results suggest that it only ranks first in Kwilu Province.
One of the surprises of these elections is the performance of former Prime Minister Adolphe Muzito, who received a total of more than 200,000 votes and secured fourth place with 1.1% of the vote.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege's result, with only 39,000 votes, fell well short of the expectations of his supporters.
Moïse Katumbi, Martin Fayulu, Denis Mukwege and six other candidates refuse to accept these results and call for a reorganization of the elections, even ruling out the possibility of appealing to the Constitutional Court.
Festive atmosphere at Félix Tshisekedi's campaign headquarters
As you can imagine, there is a festive atmosphere here at President Tshisekedi's campaign headquarters on Boulevard du 30 Juin in the heart of the Congolese capital, our special correspondent reports. Paulina Zidi.
Several hundred supporters braved the raindrops that fell on Kinshasa to celebrate their champion's victory, “a clear victory,” several activists said.
The announcement of the results was followed live on huge screens and there were two outbursts of joy: when the score of the candidate number 20 was announced, that of Félix Tshisekedi, but also when Denis Kadima, President of the Céni, officially declared his victory in this presidential election . Cheering, fireworks and lots of singing.
Then the president came to greet the crowd on the balcony of his headquarters. He gave a speech, a message addressed directly to the Congolese people.
“You mobilized as one to consolidate our young democracy. They have noted all attempts to sabotage this election, an opportunity to defend our country, the precious legacy of our Founding Fathers. It is the victory of the solidarity of the Congolese in the East, North, South and West,” explained Félix Tshisekedi.
The President then referred to the challenges that await him in the next five years, namely employment, the country's connectivity, but above all security.
Félix Tshisekedi wins in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri
In the far east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Félix Tshisekedi was re-elected and is clearly ahead in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri. These three provinces have been rocked by armed conflict and the presence of militias for more than 25 years. But despite the uncertainty, the incumbent president is showing significant results, our correspondent in Goma reports. Coralie Pierret.
More than 79% in the city of Goma, almost 95% in the Lubero and Walikale areas, 81% in Fizi… the candidate Félix Tshisekedi wins in the three provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu and 'Ituri, according to preliminary results of the election commission. Only the city of Bunia, the capital of Ituri, stands out with a lower value than the others. The incumbent president receives 50.41% of the vote.
Of course, it must be taken into account that two areas in North Kivu province were missing. Rutshuru and Masisi did not vote. However, these are two populous areas with many potential voters, although it is impossible to say how many there will be in the 2023 elections because they were not counted due to uncertainty.
There is still an uprising in parts of North Kivu. The M23 insurgents, allied with a new political-military movement, the Congo River Alliance, say they do not recognize these results. In a new message from Rutshuru Territory, the former President of the Election Commission said: Corneille Nangaa, who leads this new movementHe described this election as a comedy.