Africa-Press – Kenya. President William Ruto has congratulated President Félix Tshisekedi on his re-election for a second term as President of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Tshisekedi was on Sunday declared the winner of the December 20 elections with 73 per cent of the vote in the polls that were reportedly marred by widespread logistical hiccups.
“Sincere congratulations to my brother, His Excellency Felix Tshisekedi, the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for a well-deserved victory. The election is a milestone in the democratic history of your nation,” Ruto said in his congratulatory message on Monday.
“I look forward to strengthening Kenya-DRC relations for the mutual benefit of our countries.”
His message coincided with one by his predecessor, Uhuru Kenyatta, who called on the president-elect to “inclusively work with those who voted for him and those who did not.”.
The Facilitator of the EAC-led Nairobi Peace Process for DRC said working towards restoring a long-lasting peace in the country will spur the county’s socio-economic growth and development.
Tshisekedi, 60, faced off with 18 opposition leaders, with his closest challenger, Moise Katumbi, garnering 18 per cent of the votes cast.
On Sunday, several of the main challengers termed the elections a sham and called for street protests, but it’s still not clear if any of the 18 opposition candidates will file a petition to challenge the results.
“We call on our people to take to the streets en masse after the proclamation of the electoral fraud,” they said in a joint statement.
About 41 million Congolese registered to vote, but electoral boss Denis Kadima said only 43 per cent showed up to cast their ballots.
No voting occurred in some parts of the eastern region where government forces have been battling rebel groups for the past three decades.
Tshisekedi, son of the late opposition leader Étienne Tshisekedi, was first elected in 2019 with a promise to make DRC “the German of Africa”.
He will be sworn in for a second term on January 20, unless his win is challenged in Constitutional Court within 10 days.
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