The Congolese president made a landslide victory in December elections extremely contested by opposition candidates.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi has been sworn in for a second five-year time period following extremely contested elections in December.
“I’m taking again the baton of command that you just entrusted to me. We wish a extra united, stronger and affluent Congo,” Tshisekedi, 60, mentioned in the course of the inauguration ceremony within the capital on Saturday.
“I’m conscious of your expectations,” he declared, referring amongst different issues to unemployment, youth, girls’s rights and nationwide cohesion.
With tensions simmering within the huge nation’s risky jap provinces, the chief often called “Fatshi” picked Kinshasa’s 80,000-capacity Martyrs sports activities stadium for the inauguration ceremony.
The stands had been packed properly earlier than noon with singing and dancing in full stream awaiting the arrival of a number of invited heads of African states and conventional chiefs from the nation’s 26 provinces.
Tshisekedi was first sworn in as president in January 2019, after controversially defeating Joseph Kabila.
He gained the primary time promising to enhance dwelling circumstances within the DRC – which boasts mineral riches however has a largely impoverished inhabitants of 100 million – and put an finish to 25 years of bloodshed within the east.
The Congolese president has not saved these guarantees, however this time round, he campaigned strongly on his first-term achievements equivalent to free main treatment, asking for an additional mandate to “consolidate” the progress.
‘Discontent’
The Congolese president made a landslide victory within the December 20 elections profitable greater than 70 p.c of the vote.
The election had greater than 40 p.c turnout, with some 18 million folks voting.
Even earlier than the outcomes had been introduced in late December, opposition candidates – together with businessman Moise Katumbi who completed behind Tshisekedi with 18 p.c of the vote – mentioned they rejected the outcomes and known as on the inhabitants to mobilise.
The logistical issues included many polling stations both opening late or not opening in any respect. Supplies had been generally missing, and lots of voter playing cards had been rendered illegible because of smudged ink.
Voting within the election needed to be prolonged right into a second day, one thing native observers and civil society organisations have deemed unlawful, and elements of the nation had been nonetheless casting ballots 5 days after election day.
Martin Fayulu, who has mentioned he was additionally robbed on the final presidential vote, garnered 5 p.c. Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege, who gained the prize winner for his work with rape victims, scored 0.22 p.c. These candidates known as for the election outcomes to be cancelled.
Katumbi and Fayulu had appealed to supporters to “present their discontent” on Saturday. They urged folks “to face up and say ‘no’”, from wherever they occur to be.
AFP reporters mentioned tyres had been burned Saturday morning on the streets of Goma, the primary hub of the conflict-torn jap province of North Kivu.
Within the provincial city of Beni, additionally within the east, youths tried to arrange barricades however police intervened.
The electoral fee, CENI, has recognised instances of fraud, vandalism and intimidation, in addition to the usage of unlawful voting machines.
The DRC has a historical past of disputed elections that may flip violent, and lots of of its residents harbour little belief within the nation’s establishments.
