Anxiety is growing in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after Saturday’s announcement that presidential election results would be delayed.
According to the electoral commission, CENI, only 47 percent of vote tally sheets had been received by Saturday.
CENI did not give a concrete date of when it would announce the results.
With the results of the highly anticipated election delayed, fears are growing that disputes and delays could spark the kind of violence seen after the 2006 and 2011 elections.
The December 30 vote saw 21 candidates run to replace current President Joseph Kabila, who has ruled the country for almost 18 years.
Officials say that the results will come out sometime next week, yet the influential Catholic Church says there was a clear winner of Sunday’s presidential election.
Among the frontrunners were Kabila’s handpicked successor Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary and two opposition candidates, newcomer Martin Fayulu and veteran heavyweight Felix Tshisekedi.
Concerns raised by the country’s opposition are that the lengthy counting process could create an opportunity for election result manipulation to put Shadary in power.
Analysts have warned of a heightened potential for violence should the uncertainty over Kabila’s successor continue.
