DRC: Félix Tshisekedi in early lead in presidential election marred by chaos, delays
Incumbent president, Félix Tshisekedi, is currently leading the poll in the presidential election in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Tshisekedi scored around 80% of the diaspora vote with other results arriving from Saturday, according to initial announcements by the electoral commission (Céni).
For the first time, Congolese abroad had the chance to cast their ballots in five test countries (Belgium, Canada, France, South Africa and the United States).
The number of registered voters in the test countries was around 13,000, out of a total of almost 44 million registered voters.
Massive delays and bureaucratic chaos marred the vote and some polling booths were unable to open at all.
An independent election observer, the Carter Center, explained that there had been “serious irregularities” at 21 out of 109 polling stations it visited. It added that ballot had proceeded “relatively well” in the other 88.
Oppositions have criticised the election and planned to protest against what they described as electoral frauds later on Wednesday.
Around 44 million Congolese in the nation of 100 million were registered to decide the political destiny of the country over the next five years.
Tshisekedi is tipped to return for another term as his oppositions failed to unite on a common political front.
