KINSHASA (Reuters) – Riot police massed in the centre of Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital Kinshasa on Wednesday as the authorities moved to block a protest by the opposition who are calling for a re-run of last week’s chaotic national election.
Five of President Felix Tshisekedi’s challengers in the race have called on their supporters to join a march against the poll, which they say was fraudulent and should be annulled.
They have vowed to proceed even after the government banned the protest on Tuesday, saying it was intended to undermine the work of the national election commission (CENI) as it compiles results that for now show Tshisekedi with a strong lead.
The disputed election threatens to further destabilise poverty-stricken Congo, which is already grappling with an security crisis in its east that has hampered development in the country, the world’s top producer of cobalt and other industrial minerals and metals.
Police surrounded the headquarters of one of the incumbent’s main challengers, Martin Fayulu, where protesters were meant to gather in the morning. Some were in riot gear while others held rifles, a Reuters reporter said.
The march was scheduled to begin at 0900 GMT but there was no immediate sign of large crowds gathering amid the heavy security presence.
Protests against the election also broke out in the eastern city of Butembo, where participants blocked roads and disrupted traffic with burning tires, another reporter said.
After a sometimes violent campaign, the Dec. 20 vote itself was chaotic, with delayed election kit deliveries, malfunctioning equipment and disorganised voting lists. Violence also disrupted the poll in some places.
The protest organisers have heavily criticised the CENI’s decision to extend voting at polling stations that failed to open on election day, calling it unconstitutional and grounds for a full re-run.
Some independent observers have also said the extension undermines the credibility of the poll.
CENI has acknowledged there were delays but has denied that the legitimacy of the election was compromised by extending some voting.
Its latest tally on Tuesday put Tshisekedi well ahead of his 18 challengers, with almost 79% of around 6.1 million votes counted so far.
Around 44 million were registered to vote, although the number of ballots cast remains unknown.
(Reporting by Benoit Nyemba in Kinshasa and Yassin Kombi in Butembo,; Writing by Sofia Christensen, Editing by Angus MacSwan)
