Nairobi, Dec. 21, (dpa/GNA) – Presidential and parliamentary elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been extended by one day into Thursday following logistical and technical problems that led to lengthy queues.
The electoral commission took the decision late on Wednesday after many in the electorate of 44 million people were unable to vote on Wednesday.
The observers’ mission reported that just 34% of polling stations had opened on time, with delays at 59% of them, some of them lengthy. Electoral lists were not available on time at many polling stations.
Some polling stations did not open at all on election day, and almost half the technical equipment for counting the ballots did not work properly.
Opposition candidates, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Denis Mukwege, rejected the extension and called in a joint statement for fresh elections.
President Félix Tshisekedi, who is seen as pro-Western, is considered likely to win re-election in Africa’s second-most populous country.
The election has been affected by violence in the resource-rich east of the country, where the government has been battling militia groups for years.
The Central African country, which covers more than 2.3 million square kilometres, is home to more than 100 million people.