President Mnangagwa Congratulates DR Congo's Tshisekedi After Landslide Victory

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has congratulated the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) President Felix Tshisekedi won re-election with more than 70 per cent of the vote in elections held on 20 December 2023.

Posting on his social media pages, Mnangagwa commended the Congolese for exercising their democratic right to vote “under challenging conditions”. He wrote:

On behalf of the Government, the People of Zimbabwe and my behalf, I warmly congratulate His Excellency Félix Antonie Tshisekedi Tshilombo on his landslide re-election as the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In the same spirit, I thank the people of the DR Congo for exercising their vote even then under challenging conditions, urging them to keep the peace for the stability and development of their country.

Zimbabwe remains a true and consistent friend of the Congo, itself a valued member of the SADC family.

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According to preliminary results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on 31 December, Tshisekedi garnered more than 70 per cent of the votes cast.

Businessman Moise Katumbi, who is the owner of Tout Puissant (TP) Mazembe Football Club, finished behind Tshisekedi with 18 per cent of the vote, while Martin Fayulu, a former oil company executive, received 5 per cent.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege, a physician renowned for treating women brutalised by sexual violence in eastern DR Congo, got less than 1 per cent.

INEC chief Denis Kadima said that the election had over 40 per cent turnout, with some 18 million people voting, adding that the results will be sent to the constitutional court for confirmation.

Opposition candidates opposing the results have two days to submit their claims, and the constitutional court has seven days to decide.

The final results are expected on 10 January, and the president is scheduled to be sworn in at the end of the month.

Before the results were announced Sunday, opposition candidates, including Katumbi, said they rejected the results and called for demonstrations.

The logistical challenges encountered during the elections included many polling stations either opening late or not opening at all.

Materials were sometimes lacking, and many voter cards were rendered illegible due to smudged ink.

As a result, voting in the election had to be extended into a second day, something local observers and civil society organisations have deemed illegal, and parts of the country were still casting ballots five days after election day.

More: Pindula News