DR Congo: More than 50 per cent of votes counted, says electoral commission

The electoral commission in the Democratic Republic of Congo has yet to announce a new date for the publication of provisional election results, despite the announcement originally being expected on Sunday.

Electoral commission chief Corneille Nangaa gestures as he leaves a meeting with presidential candidates and the African Union in Kinshasa on 2 January 2018. Photo: John Wessels/AFP

The electoral commission chief says they have collated 53 per cent of ballot papers from the elections on 30 December and called on the Congolese people to remain patient.

“In effect, the collection and transmission of envelopes from different polling stations is continuing,” Corneille Nangaa, head of the electoral commission, wrote in a statement seen RFI.

Nangaa said some 20 per cent of results had been dealt with by 3 January, but that had now risen to 53 per cent.

The electoral commission chief urged people to “remain patient” while it continued to collate results.

Congo’s elections have already been delayed several times with a warehouse fire at an electoral commission depot pushing back the original date at the last minute.

The country’s Catholic Church has warned the electoral commission to ensure it announces results that reflect the will of the people.

The Church said knew the winner of the polls according to unofficial tallies it established as part of its 40,000-strong election observation mission.