Congo's election crisis has deepened after the constitutional court confirmed the win of Felix Tshisekedi, rejecting claims of fraud, and runner-up Martin Fayulu promptly declared himself the country's "only legitimate president."
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Fayulu's supporters have alleged an extraordinary backroom deal by outgoing President Joseph Kabila to rig the vote in favour of the opposition after the ruling party's candidate did so poorly. Neither side has acknowledged the accusations.
The court, however, said Fayulu offered no proof to back his assertions that he had won easily based on leaked data attributed to the electoral commission.
Fayulu urged Congolese to take to the streets to peacefully protest what he called "constitutional coup d'etat," accusing the court of validating false results.
"It's no secret ... that you have elected me president," he said.
Neither Congolese nor the international community should recognise Tshisekedi, nor obey him, Fayulu added.
The largely untested Tshisekedi, son of the late, charismatic opposition leader Etienne, is set to be inaugurated on Tuesday. His supporters who had gathered outside the court cheered.
The court's declaration came shortly after the African Union in an unprecedented move asked Congo to delay announcing the final election results, citing "serious doubts" about the vote.
It planned to send a high-level delegation on Monday to find a way out of the crisis, fearing unrest spilling across borders of the vast Central African nation.
The court turned away Fayulu's request for a recount in the December 30 vote, paving the way for the country of 80 million people, rich in the minerals, to move close to achieving its first peaceful, democratic transfer of power since independence in 1960.
But observers have warned that the court's upholding of the official results could lead to further unrest. At least 34 people have been killed since provisional results were released on January 10, the United Nations has said.
The court called unfounded a challenge filed by another candidate, Theodore Ngoy, that objected to the electoral commission's last-minute decision to bar some one million voters from the election over a deadly Ebola virus outbreak.
The court said Tshisekedi won with more than 7 million votes, or 38 per cent, and Fayulu received 34 per cent. However, leaked data published by some media outlets, attributed to the electoral commission and representing 86 per cent of the votes, show that Fayulu won 59 per cent while Tshisekedi received 19 per cent.
Fayulu, a lawmaker and businessman who is outspoken about cleaning up Congo's sprawling corruption, is widely seen as posing more of a threat to Kabila, his allies and the vast wealth they have amassed.
All of the election results, not just the presidential ones, had been widely questioned after Kabila's ruling coalition won a majority in legislative and provincial votes while its presidential candidate finished a distant third.
Australian Associated Press
