DR Congo ruling coalition wins legislative majority
Updated 20:11, 15-Jan-2019
CGTN
["china"]
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Joseph Kabila's ruling coalition won a majority in legislative elections, a coalition official said on Saturday.
Supporters of the outgoing president won nearly 350 seats in the 500-seat National Assembly, according to Communications Minister Lambert Mende. About 130 seats went to opposition lawmakers, he said.
If the legislative result is confirmed, the win for pro-Kabila lawmakers will put them in control of parliament for the next five years. 
Provisional results released earlier by the elections committee had also indicated that the pro-Kabila Common Front for Congo (FCC) coalition had secured a majority but by a fewer number of seats.
It means the next prime minister will be chosen from among forces loyal to Kabila. 
On December 30, after repeated delays, voters finally went to the polls in an election pitting two opposition candidates, Martin Fayulu and Felix Tshisekedi, against Kabila's handpicked successor, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary.  
The DRC opposition leader Tshisekedi has been proclaimed the winner in the provisional results announced on Thursday, but another opposition leader, the runner-up Fayulu, disputed the results and appealed to the Constitutional Court to annul the provisional result, his lawyer said Saturday.
Supporters of Felix Tshisekedi, who was announced as the winner of the presidential elections, celebrate in the streets of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, January 10, 2019. /VCG Photo

Supporters of Felix Tshisekedi, who was announced as the winner of the presidential elections, celebrate in the streets of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, January 10, 2019. /VCG Photo

The request was filed on Friday ahead of a 48-hour deadline for any appeals against the shock result to replace long-term President Joseph Kabila.  
Fayulu has denounced the result as an "electoral coup" and added that only a recount would establish the truth of what happened at the ballot box.  
The court now has eight days to consider the request. 
Most leaders called for any disagreements to be resolved peacefully in statements. Addressing the Council by video conference, election chief Nangaa pleaded for "the new authorities to be supported by the international community."
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) on Friday called on all stakeholders in the DRC to refrain from acts of violence.
"SADC calls upon all stakeholders with concerns, including regarding the accuracy of the results, to pursue any election dispute about the provisional results, peacefully, through avenues provided by the existing national legal framework, and resolve their differences through political dialogue among all stakeholders," Zambian President Edgar Lungu said.
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(Cover: Felix Tshisekedi, leader of the Congolese main opposition party, the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) who was announced as the winner of the presidential elections, gestures to his supporters in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, January 10, 2019.  /VCG Photo)
Source(s): AFP ,Xinhua News Agency