Tshisekedi celebrates his victory in the presidential elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The acting President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, celebrated his victory in the presidential elections after announcing the preliminary results that gave him more than 73 percent of the votes, despite the opposition completely rejecting him. victory. “This victory is yours. It is a victory of solidarity and unity of the people among themselves and in their greatest diversity. It is a victory of solidarity of the Congolese in the west, centre, north, south and east of the Republic of the Congo, as well as our compatriots in the diaspora,” the president declared in a speech reported by the news portal Actuality. Tshisekedi considered that his victory constitutes the “confidence” of the Congolese for a second term, despite the presence of about twenty candidates for the presidency of the country. He promised, “I would like to assure you that this second term that you have just granted me will be devoted to further measures to achieve these commitments.” The Congolese government, through the Ministry of Communications, congratulated Tshisekedi on his “fantastic re-election” and stated that it “welcomes” the publication of the provisional results by the Independent National Electoral Commission (Ceni). He also congratulated “the Congolese people for their participation in the electoral process and their maturity in freely electing their president during the elections of 20 December 2023” and highlighted the work of the Independent National Electoral Commission when holding “free, democratic and transparent” elections. comprehensive and peaceful” within the specified deadline “despite the enormous challenges”. A statement calling on residents to celebrate “calmly” said: “At the same time we welcome the participation of all other candidates without exclusion in the 2023 presidential elections, we encourage the various affected candidates to resort to appropriate means… The US authorities warned on Monday of the risk of a violent confrontation after the elections and reiterated that “the only way to challenge the election results” is through the courts. “We realize that many candidates refuse to accept these interim results. However, we reaffirm that the only means to challenge the results and demand accountability must be through the legal system and peaceful civic engagement. Resorting to violent confrontation will not resolve grievances and will not advance democracy,” he said. The US Embassy in Kinshasa called on the authorities to “fairly and transparently investigate all concerns raised regarding non-compliance with election law procedures and allegations of fraud and violence.” The defense also requested “strongly” on the freedoms of expression, movement and peaceful assembly. While the Constitutional Court awaits the certification of the electoral college results, the opposition completely rejected Tshisekedi's re-election and accused the head of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Dennis Kadima, of tampering with the results. Opposition member Martin Fayulu expressed his regret, saying: Mr. Kadima and the Independent National Electoral Commission have crossed the Rubicon. “They have revealed themselves as emissaries in the service of Mr. Felix Tshisekedi Chilombo to wash away the shame that has stained him since 2018,” the opposition said in comments gathered by Radio Okapi. Tshisekedi, the son of historic opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi – who In 2017 – a total of 21 candidates died after a campaign marked by mistrust regarding the role of the Electoral Commission and episodes of violence during various events of the election campaign of prominent opponents. On this occasion, the elections were held despite calls from some opponents to postpone them, particularly due to growing insecurity in the east, where dozens of armed groups operate, including one linked to ISIS.