Police clash with opposition over DR Congo election results

Police in the Democratic Republic of Congo's capital Kinshasa prevented protesters from assembling Wednesday, AFP reporters saw, after a demonstration against recent elections was banned in the fragile central African state.

Leading opposition politicians in impoverished but mineral-rich DRC called for the demonstration after rejecting last week's vote, which was marred by severe delays and bureaucratic disarray.

Congolese interior minister Peter Kazadi said Tuesday the government had banned the protest because it "aims to harm the electoral process."

The opposition nevertheless had urged supporters to gather near the national assembly in Kinshasa and march to the headquarters of the country's electoral commission.

Dozens of riot police were stationed in the area Wednesday morning, according to AFP reporters.

They fired canisters of tear gas at supporters of opposition politician Martin Fayulu, who were grouped in front of his party's headquarters.

Nearby, young protesters set tyres alight.

Government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said on social media that the opposition must await the publication of provisional vote results and address complaints about the electoral process to the Constitutional Court.

Some 44 million voters were registered to vote on December 20 in concurrent elections to choose a president, national and regional lawmakers, and municipal councillors.

But the electoral commission struggled to get voting materials to polling booths on time in the huge country -- roughly the size of continental western Europe -- leaving some people unable to cast ballots.

Voting was officially extended by a day to account for the problems, and even lasted until Christmas Day in some remote areas.

The opposition claimed there was "total chaos" and denounced irregularities.

The archbishop of Kinshasa likewise described the election as a "gigantic organised mess".

Election-related tensions are common in the DRC, which has a long history of authoritarian rule and violent government overthrow.

Partial results released by the electoral commission show incumbent President Felix Tshisekedi well ahead, with 79 percent of the six million ballots counted so far.

The 60-year-old, who came to office in 2019 after the country's first peaceful transfer of power, is running for a second five-year term.

Moise Katumbi, another candidate and former governor of the south-east Katanga region, has received about 14 percent of the votes counted so far.

He is followed Fayulu, a former oil executive who says he is the rightful winner of the 2018 election that brought the incumbent to power, with four percent of the votes counted.

Story compiled by AFP