Opposition presidential candidate in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday filed an appeal in the constitutional court against last year’s election result.
Martin Fayulu has insisted that declared winner of the election Felix Tshisekedi did not win the vote as announced by the election commission.
Fayulu is demanding a manual recount of the votes. His lawyer Feli Ekombe is quoted by AFP as saying that “The petition demands the annulment of the results proclaiming Felix Tshisekedi president of the republic.
It was introduced yesterday [Friday] and today we have come to get the receipts for this petition.”
What happens next?
Judges of the constitutional court now have seven days to deliberate.
The court could confirm Mr Tshisekedi’s victory, order a recount, or cancel the results and order fresh elections.
Mr. Fayulu on Friday told the BBC he “will do whatever is possible for” him “to do to get the truth because the Congolese want change”.
Fayulu was tipped to win the election prior to voting on December 30 last year. But the results published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) shocked many.
Meanwhile election officials say the ruling coalition won majority of parliamentary seats. That puts into doubt the victory of Mr. Tshisekedi.
Fayulu came second in the polls. He was representing a coalition of opposition parties in the poll has described the results as a work of a “coup”.
“Felix Tshisekedi has been nominated by Mr Kabila to perpetrate the Kabila regime. Because today the boss is Kabila,” Mr Fayulu told the BBC.
He said “Mr Kabila cannot stay and make an arrangement with someone who will not have any power… Mr Tshisekedi knows himself that he did not win.”
A deal with Kabila?
Fayulu is also accusing Mr. Tshisekedi of making a deal with outgoing President Joseph Kabila.
Based on the provisional results Mr. Tshisekedi will be the first opposition candidate to win such a vote since DR Congo gained independence.
Felix Tshisekedi refused to back Fayulu ahead of the election after withdrawing from an agreement to back the opposition coalition’s candidate.
He will now replace President Joseph Kabila who had been in power for 18 years. President Joseph Kabila did not take part in the December 30 election.
Kabila took over as president from his father Laurent who was assassinated in 2001. He frustrated the holding of the election which had to be delayed for several years.
Source: Africafeeds.com
