On Saturday, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) election commission, Commission Électorale Nationale Indépendante (CENI), announced the annulment of votes for 82 out of the 101,000 candidates in the legislative and local elections held in December. These candidates were implicated in alleged electoral fraud and were involved in disturbances that disrupted the general election, according to a press release issued by CENI.
CENI detailed that the elections were canceled in Masimanimba, located in Kwilu Province, and Yakoma, in Nord Ubangi Province, in response to these episodes of misconduct. Moreover, the voting results for over 80 candidates listed were declared null and void. This punitive action was taken as a response to the instigation of violence, vandalism, and sabotage, as well as other disruptive behavior by these candidates during the December 20 elections. A video statement to this effect was also issued by the commission.
The DRC general election was initially slated to take place on Wednesday, December 20, 2023. However, due to unexpected events such as poll closures and malfunctioning voting machines, the schedule was extended. According to local observer group, Symocel, more than one-third of polling stations opened between one and eleven hours late on the day.
Félix Tshisekedi Tshilombo, incumbent president, faced challenges from 20 candidates, including Martin Fayulu and Denis Mukwege, who contested the extension of the election. After the December 20 elections, Tshisekedi was declared as the president of Congo. Opposition candidates, however, labeled these elections a farce and accused the authorities of electoral fraud, citing these irregularities.
As reported in JURIST, the elections had already been mired in controversy prior to December 20. An electoral observation mission from the European Union was canceled in early December due to security concerns. Instances of violence at political campaign events and against journalists were reported in the DRC before the polls.
Protests led by opposition candidates escalated following the results of the December elections. Both Katumbi and Fayulu rejected the election results and urged their supporters to protest the perceived injustice. One planned protest in the capital was banned shortly after the election. In response to these developments, Congolese religious figures and human rights groups have condemned the violence and disorder associated with the general elections.
According to the final results announced by CENI, Tshisekedi received over 70% of the votes, while Katumbi secured 18% and Martin Fayulu received just over 5% of the votes in the presidential election.