The US on Thursday congratulated Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo, DRC) President Felix Tshisekedi as he won another term and it joined the EU in urging election reform.
The DR Congo’s Constitutional Court on Tuesday approved Tshisekedi’s election for a second term, saying he won 73.47 percent of votes.
The US in a statement said that it congratulates Tshisekedi and the nation’s people.
Photo: AP
“Now the important task of building national cohesion calls for leadership, accountability and inclusivity at all levels,” US Department of State spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement. “We encourage the Independent National Electoral Commission to ensure greater transparency regarding the tabulation of remaining results.”
“The United States also strongly urges Congolese authorities to launch a comprehensive review of the electoral process, investigate and hold accountable those who attempted to undermine the will of the people, and, in consultation with stakeholders, act on recommendations to improve future elections,” Miller said.
Nine opposition candidates signed a declaration late last month rejecting what they called a sham election and urged a re-run.
The EU earlier stopped short of congratulating Tshisekedi, saying it “took note” of the results.
The 27-nation bloc said that election observers “documented numerous cases of irregularities and incidents which affected the entire electoral process.”
It called on the electoral authority and courts “to respond to these concerns and to pursue the next stages of the electoral process with the greatest transparency.”
More than 40 million people out of the 100 million inhabitants of the vast country were registered to vote on Dec. 20 for president, lawmakers and municipal councilors.
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