Joseph Kabila, the incumbent president of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been declared the winner of the recent elections after several days of unexpected delays in announcement of the results. Kabila received the support of just 28% of eligible voters but still received the majority needed to rule due to low voter turnout and a split opposition (11 candidates were running for the presidency).
The second-highest polled candidate, Etienne Tshisekedi, has contested the results, proclaiming himself the elected president of the DRC. However, although a number of voting irregularities were reported, independent international observers have declared these unlikely to affect the result of the poll.
It is extremely difficult in a country like the DRC where sectarianism is a part of daily life to avoid falling to violence over the results of a poll where there are questions about its legitimacy, and where the winner has received such a small percentage of the country's confidence.
However, the latter is an unfortunate by-product of the imperfect democracies in our world. The British Prime Minister David Cameron received the votes of only 23% of those eligible in the general election last year.
We can only hope that the clashes seen in Kinshasa, the DRC's capital at the weekend do not spread, and turn into another civil war in the region.
The second-highest polled candidate, Etienne Tshisekedi, has contested the results, proclaiming himself the elected president of the DRC. However, although a number of voting irregularities were reported, independent international observers have declared these unlikely to affect the result of the poll.
It is extremely difficult in a country like the DRC where sectarianism is a part of daily life to avoid falling to violence over the results of a poll where there are questions about its legitimacy, and where the winner has received such a small percentage of the country's confidence.
However, the latter is an unfortunate by-product of the imperfect democracies in our world. The British Prime Minister David Cameron received the votes of only 23% of those eligible in the general election last year.
We can only hope that the clashes seen in Kinshasa, the DRC's capital at the weekend do not spread, and turn into another civil war in the region.
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