MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th January, 2019) The Constitutional Court of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has confirmed the provisional results of the recently held presidential election and proclaimed opposition candidate Felix Tshisekedi the republic's new president, however, runner-up Martin Fayulu continues to insist that he was the one to win the race.
Earlier in January, the country's National Electoral Commission (CENI) announced that, according to the provisional results, Tshisekedi had been elected president with more than 38 percent of the votes. Fayulu, in turn, refused to concede his defeat because of the alleged fraud during the electoral process, and claimed that he had been elected president with over 60 percent of the ballots.
"[The Constitutional Court] proclaims Mr Tshiseked Tshilombo Felix the president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, elected by a simple majority," the court said late on Saturday, as broadcast by the Congo Channel.
In response to the ruling, Fayulu accused both the electoral commission and the court of serving Tshisekedi's interests and violating the republic's laws, and called on the citizens to organize peaceful demonstrations across the country.
"I am now considering myself the sole legitimate president of the Democratic Republic of Congo ... I ask the International Community not to recognize a regime that has no legitimacy nor legal quality to represent the Congolese people," Fayulu said in a statement, published via his official Twitter account.
The election was held on December 30, 2018. The Congolese Constitutional Court is required to verify the results of the vote by law. �
