|
Supporters of losing candidate Jean-Pierre Bemba on Tuesday looted and partly torched the Supreme Court in Kinshasa where judges were sitting to hear Bemba's appeal against the results, which the Independent Electoral Commission announced last week.
It said Kabila had won with 58 percent of the vote, and Bemba trailed on 42 percent.
About a dozen armoured vehicles rushed troops from the United Nations peacekeeping mission, Monuc, to the court to restore order after the clashes.
Meanwhile in Pretoria on Tuesday, Deputy Defence Minister Mluleki George, who headed the 108-person South African observer mission to the DRC elections, announced that the mission had given the poll a pass mark in its final report.
The mission had concluded that both the presidential run-off and provincial elections "were conducted in a climate conducive for a democratic expression of the will of the people of the DRC and therefore calls on all Congolese to accept the outcome of the elections.
"The mission notes that Vice-President Bemba has made a submission to the Supreme Court challenging the results. The mission would then expect Vice-President Bemba and his supporters to abide by the decision of the Supreme Court as and when such a decision is made on the results."
But in Kinshasa, Bemba supporters instead clashed with riot police using teargas, and torched two police vehicles after staging a protest while judges in the court were considering Bemba's challenge.
After the Monuc troops in armoured vehicles fired shots into the air, most of the demonstrators dispersed.
Police also came under fire from troops in Bemba's guard near the former rebel leader's residence in the administrative district of the capital, close to the Supreme Court premises, but no casualties were immediately reported.
The court was in public session when the demonstration took place, but the presiding judge adjourned the proceedings.
"We have redeployed our troops. An armoured company of around 150 'blue berets' has been sent to the place," Monuc spokesperson Kemal Sekai said.
George said in his report that the election campaign had been "relatively peaceful". "Political parties were able to conduct their election campaigns without interference and intimidation."
It praised the Independent Electoral Commission for its competence and fairness.
The counting and compiling of votes had also been transparent and better organised than in the first round of voting on July 30, it added.
- This article was originally published on page 4 of The Star on November 22, 2006
|
