by Ange Kasongo and Djaffar Al Katanty
KINSHASA/GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo, December 20 (Reuters) – Voters are called to the polls on Wednesday in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for presidential, legislative and regional elections, after a chaotic campaign marked by allegations of fraud imminent threat, electoral violence and logistical problems.
The DRC’s independent national electoral commission (CENI) has insisted for months that it will hold a free and fair vote, as it pledged to do, even as independent observers have reported irregularities that they say will jeopardize the legitimacy of the results.
As the polling date approached, authorities requested that additional helicopters be deployed to transport election materials, raising concerns about the CENI’s ability to open polling stations in difficult areas. access.
Outgoing President Félix Tshisekedi, whose first term was marked by economic difficulties, epidemics and worsening insecurity in the east of the country, is a candidate for re-election.
He will notably face the gynecologist and Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2018 Denis Mukwege, the opposition leader Martin Fayulu and the opponent Moïse Katumbi.
Opposition candidates and election observers have sounded the alarm about the transparency of the elections, notably raising questions about the establishment of electoral lists.
Tensions have increased recently. Two legislative election candidates were killed on December 15 in separate incidents.
Polling stations will open at 04:00 GMT and close at 16:00. Full provisional results are expected on December 31.
The DRC is the third largest producer of copper in the world and the leading producer of cobalt, used in particular in the manufacture of batteries.
(With the contribution of Sonia Rolley, Yassin Kombi and Fiston Mahamba, written by Alessandra Prentice; French version Camille Raynaud)
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