Kabila in Driving Seat as Court Mulls Congo Vote Challenge
- Court annulment of elections would favor outgoing president
- Opposition leader Fayulu claims fraud, calls for recount
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Outgoing President Joseph Kabila could remain the power behind the throne in the Democratic Republic of Congo after the highest court rules on a challenge to last month’s presidential-election result.
Martin Fayulu, the runner-up in the Dec. 30 poll, has petitioned the Constitutional Court to order a recount of the votes, saying official results proclaiming rival opposition candidate Felix Tshisekedi the winner were rigged. Fayulu’s claims that the results were inaccurate are supported by the country’s influential Catholic bishops, who’ve said the electoral commission’s tally doesn’t reflect the findings of its nationwide observer mission.