A CANDIDATE in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)’s recent presidential elections has legally challenged the victory of incumbent President Félix Tshisekedi.
Théodore Ngoy, who came last with 0.02 percent of the vote, is the only presidential candidate who submitted a petition for the annulment of the results.
He filed the petition on Wednesday at the Constitutional Court hours before the lapse of the two-day window allowed for petitions. Ngoy, a lawyer and pastor, was also unsuccesful in DRC’s 2018 presidential elections.
He told France’s RFI news website that he wanted the “sham” election results announced by the country’s electoral commission, Ceni, to be annulled. The court has seven days to examine the petition and produce a response.
The two main opposition candidates, Moïse Katumbi and Martin Fayulu, said they would not challenge the results in court but are calling for protests to denounce them. The Constitutional Court is expected to announce the final results on January 12. The president won with about 73 percent of the vote in the December 20 election, which was marred by widespread logistical problems. — BBC