World pressure mounts on DR Congo ahead of election result

DR Congo was on edge yesterday, just 24 hours ahead of a deadline for announcing preliminary results from last week's crucial presidential election as world powers heaped pressure on Kinshasa to respect voters' wishes.

Despite the January 6 deadline, the election commission chief warned earlier this week that publication of the provisional results may well be delayed in a move likely to stoke further tension in this notoriously unstable central African nation.

The December 30 vote saw 21 candidates running to replace President Joseph Kabila who has ruled the country for almost 18 years. Kabila had been due to step down two years ago, but managed to cling onto power, sparking widespread protests which were brutally repressed and leaving dozens dead.

Despite repeated delays, the vote went ahead last Sunday, pitting Kabila's handpicked successor Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary against two opposition candidates, veteran heavyweight Felix Tshisekedi and newcomer Martin Fayulu.

Although election day itself was relatively peaceful, many fears the result could be manipulated in Shadary's favour and with any delay likely to further exacerbate the situation. Frustrations have been building steadily since the election after the authorities cut internet access and blocked broadcasts by Radio France Internationale.

The European Union on Friday urged the authorities "to ensure the upcoming results conform with the Congolese people's vote". Washington has also urged Kinshasa to release "accurate" results and warned of sanctions against anyone seeking to "undermine the democratic process" in the former Belgian colony.

Although the UN Security Council met late Friday to discuss the election, it did not issue a concluding statement. It will hold another meeting on the issue on Tuesday.

The last two elections in 2006 and 2011, both of which were won by Kabila, were marred by bloodshed, and many fear a repeat of the violence if the results are put in doubt. Between 1996 and 2003, DR Congo lived through two fully-fledged wars that claimed millions of lives through bloodshed, fighting, starvation and disease.