22 August 2006

Incumbent president Joseph Kabila garnered 44.81% of the vote in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) presidential elections, with the runner-up, current vice-president Jean-Pierre Bemba, collecting 20.03%, according to provisional results announced on Sunday.

Kabila and Bemba will oppose one another in a second round of voting on 29 October to decide the next president of the DRC.

"Joseph Kabila and Jean-Pierre Bemba, the two candidates who received the most amount of votes, are allowed to stand in the second round of the presidential election", Malu Malu, president of the DRC's Independent Electoral Commission, announced on Congolese national television.

Veteran politician Antoine Gizenga, leader of Lumumbist party Palu, came third with 13.06% of the vote. Nzanga Mobutu (4.77% of the vote), son of former dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, and Oscar Kashala (3.46%), who has spent 20 years in the United States, came fourth and fifth respectively.

Voter turnout for the 30 July presidential and parliamentary election stood at 70.54% of registered voters, according to Malu.

The provisional results have to be validated by the country's Supreme Court of Justice, which deals with electoral challenges. Candidates have three days from Monday to file challenges, which will be examined within seven days by the court.

The court should announce the final results by 31 August.

The Independent Electoral Commission is expected to begin releasing the provisional results of the parliamentary elections from this week.

Source: UN Mission in DR Congo

	Jean-Pierre Bemba and Joseph Kabila: one of these men will be the DRC's next president (Photo by Myriam Asmani, UN Mission in DR Congo)

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