DRC polls go off peacefully
31 July 2006
Voting in the historic elections in the democratic Republic of Congo has ended, and the long process of tallying the votes in the country's first election in 46 years, has begun.
United Nations' deputy special representative for the Congo, Ross Mountain expressed satisfaction with the turnout of the elections, which he described as "surprisingly peaceful."
"I would hesitate to declare anything successful until it's done, but so far so good. In fact, so far, very good."
News24 reported sporadic incidents of violence, but no deaths, as the country's 25 million registered voters peacefully cast their votes.
South African support
Briefing the media in Pretoria on Sunday, Mbeki said he believed that the results of the election would "reflect the will of the people."
He also noted the support that South Africa had extended to the DRC including the critical infrastructure for its counting centres, all of
which were manned by South Africans.
The leader of South Africa’s observer mission, in the DRC, Defence Deputy Minister Mluleki George told BuaNews that Congolese citizens including the presidential candidates regarded the elections as a "historic event".
"People here are very happy and hopeful of a better future."
"They came out in their numbers to vote- fortunately here queues are not that long because they use up to 30 classrooms in a school as voting stations."
Key political figures contesting for the presidency include 35-year-old Joseph Kabila who has been at the helm since 2001 after his father Laurent Kabila was assassinated.
Other key candidates include 44-year-old Jean-Pierre Bemba, a former rebel leader and one of four vice presidents in the DRC's transitional government, and Azarias Ruberwa, a 42-year-old former rebel and vice president in the transitional government.
'Proud moment'
Delivering the
Nelson Mandela Memorial Lecture in Johannesburg on Sunday night, Mbeki said the elections were a "proud moment for for the DRC and Africa."
Mandela helped to start the peace process in the DRC that led to this week’s elections. "I can think of no better birthday present for Madiba than the elections," said Mbeki.
He said that South Africa would continue to support the DRC even after the elections.
The first results are expected within three weeks.
Source: BuaNews and southafrica.info reporter
| 
