Protests looming in DRC as top opposition calls for cancellation of presidential election  

One of the leading opposition candidates in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s presidential election has joined calls for the December 20 poll to be cancelled due to “massive fraud.”

Moise Katumbi said in a statement from his campaign office on Saturday.

Katumbi’s campaign added in the statement that the head of Congo’s national election commission should resign because the commission had been involved in a planned “electoral fraud.”

“In this face of this unacceptable situation, we are calling for the immediate annulment of this chaotic election tainted by massive fraud,” the statement said.

Earlier, five opposition candidates had planned a rally for next Wednesday. In a letter shared online, they said they would protest alleged irregularities during the vote and the extension, which “sufficiently demonstrate that on December 20, 2023, the elections were a sham.”

Election disputes mostly generate violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, risking further destabilization of a country with world-renowned cobalt and copper assets

Despite the massive wealth in natural resources, the country has been facing widespread poverty and insecurity in the eastern part of the country.

13 embassies in Kinshasa, including those of Germany and France, issued a joint statement on Saturday urging calm in a sign of rising concern over the post-election outcome.

“As the vote counting continues, we urge all stakeholders, especially political actors, candidates and their supporters, to exercise restraint, allow the process to unfold, and raise their concerns peacefully,” they said.

Final provisional election results are expected by Dec. 31, with daily updates released from Saturday.

President Felix Tshisekedi or one of the other 18 candidates is expected to be declared the winner of the poll.