The Archbishop of Kinshasa, Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, issued a statement reported by Vatican news agency Fides, in which he said that “the results of the ballot on 28 November were neither real not just.”
Outgoing President Joseph Kabila, was proclaimed the winner of the Presidential elections which took place in the Democratic Republic of Congo on 9 December. However, the credibility of the election results is anything but certain.
Kabila’s main competitor, Etienne Tshisekedi rejected the results presented by the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), saying he was the legitimate Head of State.
Meanwhile, other independent observers pointed out serious irregularities and electoral fraud in various parts of the Country.
Cardinal Monsengwo Pasinya has invited the opposition party to go about protesting, the legal way, and to avoid resorting to violence: "Since the results are provisional and must be confirmed by the Supreme Court, we ask the protesters to appeal, to resort to law and not to let oneself go to violence.”
The cardinal added: “Eighteen deaths for an election are too many!”
“In this context, the Church is morally obliged to offer her help to justice, to establish the truth of the polls where our observers were. That the Supreme Court therefore feels so conscientiously requested by the entire Congolese people."