Current:Home > MyCongo’s constitutional court upholds election results, declares President Tshisekedi the winner-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Congo’s constitutional court upholds election results, declares President Tshisekedi the winner
View Date:2024-12-23 16:35:34
KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Congo’s constitutional court on Tuesday upheld the results of last month’s election that declared President Felix Tshisekedi the winner, rejecting a petition by an opposition candidate to annul the vote.
“Mr. Tshisekedi Tshilombo Felix Antoine has been elected president of (Congo) by a majority of votes cast,” said Judge Kamuleta Badibanga Dieudonne, president of the constitutional court.
The court called a petition by opposition candidate Theodore Ngoy to redo the vote unfounded. Ngoy, who finished with less than 1% of the vote, was the only candidate to file an appeal.
Tshisekedi will be sworn in at the end of January.
About 18 million people cast ballots in the election, which had a turnout of more than a 40%, according to the election commission.
Tshisekedi won reelection with more than 70% of the vote as opposition candidates and their supporters questioned the validity of the results.
The vote was mired with logistical problems. Many polling stations were late in opening or didn’t open at all. Some lacked materials, and many voter cards had smudged ink that made them illegible.
Congo has a history of disputed elections that can turn violent, and there’s little confidence among many Congolese in the country’s institutions. Before the results were announced last month, opposition candidates, including frontrunner Moise Katumbi, said they rejected the results and called on the population to mobilize.
In a statement earlier this month Katumbi accused the electoral commission of planning chaos in order to keep the regime in power and called on the head of the commission to resign.
“His resignation is not negotiable for, more than anyone else, he has mismanaged the all electoral process which ended up being nothing but a sham of elections,” said Katumbi.
Neither he or other opposition candidates filed an appeal with the constitutional court, saying they didn’t believe it would rule independently.
____
Follow AP’s Africa coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/africa
veryGood! (68526)
Related
- Roster limits in college small sports put athletes on chopping block while coaches look for answers
- Current COVID response falling behind, Trump's former health adviser says
- See Khloe Kardashian's Adorable Photos of Daughter True Thompson on First Day of Kindergarten
- Phillies set to use facial authentication to identify ticketholders
- Celtics' Jaylen Brown calls Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo a 'child' over fake handshake
- Saudi Arabia gets some unlikely visitors when a plane full of Israelis makes an emergency landing
- Why Miley Cyrus Says Her and Liam Hemsworth’s Former Malibu Home Had “So Much Magic to It”
- Meg Ryan Returns to Rom-Coms After 14 Years: Watch the First Look at What Happens Later
- Harriet Tubman posthumously named a general in Veterans Day ceremony
- Who’s running for president? See a rundown of the 2024 candidates
Ranking
- Republican Scott Baugh concedes to Democrat Dave Min in critical California House race
- UNC-Chapel Hill faculty member killed, suspect in custody after campus lockdown
- Lupita Nyong’o Gives Marvelous Look Inside Romance With Boyfriend Selema Masekela
- Half of University of San Diego football team facing discipline for alleged hazing
- All Social Security retirees should do this by Nov. 20
- ‘Breaking Bad’ stars reunite on picket line to call for studios to resume negotiations with actors
- On Maui, a desperate plea to tourists: please return
- Nebraska tight end Arik Gilbert arrested on burglary charge
Recommendation
-
RHOBH's Kyle Richards Addresses PK Kemsley Cheating Rumors in the Best Way Possible
-
August 08, R&B singer and songwriter behind hit DJ Khaled song 'I'm the One', dies at 31
-
Critical fire weather in arrives Northern California’s interior; PG&E cuts power to 8,400 customers
-
Meg Ryan Returns to Rom-Coms After 14 Years: Watch the First Look at What Happens Later
-
Rare Alo Yoga Flash Sale: Don’t Miss 60% Off Deals With Styles as Low as $5
-
Kremlin says ‘Deliberate wrongdoing’ among possible causes of plane crash that killed Prigozhin
-
Why Miley Cyrus Says Her and Liam Hemsworth’s Former Malibu Home Had “So Much Magic to It”
-
US economic growth for last quarter is revised down to a 2.1% annual rate