The U.S. Department of State in a press release Friday said: “The United States takes note of the National Independent Electoral Commission’s announcement of the provisional results of December 30 elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
“We congratulate the millions of courageous voters who went to the polls across DRC to cast their ballots after two years of delay…The United States stands with the people of Congo at this historic moment and it is they who should determine their country’s future.
“The United States also notes the importance of President Joseph Kabila’s decision to abide by his constitutionally mandated term limits and transfer power to a successor.
“The National Independent Electoral Commission has announced provisional results, but we await clarification of questions which have been raised regarding the electoral count.
“The United States notes that stakeholders have the option to request a review of the announced provisional results to ensure they reflect the will of the Congolese people as expressed through the ballot box.
“We urge all stakeholders to remain calm as the process continues. Violence is unacceptable, and the U.S. Government will hold accountable those who perpetrate election-related violence or impede the democratic process.”
The government of Canada in a press release Friday stated: Global Affairs Canada today issued the following statement regarding the announcement of provisional results following the general election held on December 30, 2018, in the Democratic Republic of Congo:
“Canada takes note of the provisional results of the presidential election released by the Independent National Electoral Commission on January 10, 2019.
“Canada expects that the choice expressed by the Congolese people on this occasion will be respected.
“Canada is hopeful that the situation remains calm and calls on political representatives as well as the other involved parties to resolve all disputes in a peaceful manner and respectful of institutions.
“Canada stresses the importance of holding free, fair and transparent elections and building on independent democratic institutions to enable the Congolese people to build a strong and healthy democracy.”
It would be recalled that the CENI results show that the opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi is the winner of the election.
APA Thursday quoted a BBC report online early Thursday morning which said CENI head Corneille Nangaa declared that “Tshisekedi had received 38.5% of the vote and had been ‘provisionally declared the elected president’ ”.
Later Thursday, APA reported that there is developing story related to the outcome of the presidential election in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as the results released by the CENI are being disputed.
According to APA, events in DRC are evolving by the minute as the opposition candidate Martin Fayulu has reportedly dismissed the announced results as “a fraud”. The results have “nothing to do with the truth” he declared, according to the BBC.
The global broadcaster also said DRC’s “influential Catholic Church, which posted 40,000 observers to monitor the election, issued a statement on Thursday saying the result given by the electoral commission did not correspond with its own findings.”