US accepts Congo’s president-elect despite disputed election
Posted January 23, 2019 8:03 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
JOHANNESBURG — The United States says it welcomes the certification by Congo’s constitutional Court of Felix Tshisekedi as the country’s next president, joining others in the international community in accepting the results of the disputed vote.
The State Department does not congratulate Tshisekedi, son of a famous opposition leader who died in 2017, but says the U.S. commits to working with Congo’s new government.
The statement also salutes the Congolese people for insisting on a peaceful and democratic transfer of power, the first since the central African nation’s independence in 1960.
Congo’s constitutional Court on Sunday rejected declared runner-up Martin Fayulu’s challenge alleging fraud, opening the way for Tshisekedi’s inauguration on Thursday.
The U.S. says it encourages Congo’s government to address “reports of electoral irregularities” and to be inclusive.
The Associated Press
