Congolese opposition candidate Fayulu declares himself president

Opposition candidate Martin Fayulu has rejected a court ruling that declared his fellow candidate as the duly elected President for the Democratic Republic of Congo in the December 30 polls.

On Sunday, the Constitutional Court declared Felix Tshisekedi as the country’s President after dismissing an election petition by Fayulu.

However, in a statement later, Fayulu said he did accept the declaration by the Constitutional Court which he said serves a dictatorial regime by validating false results adding that it was an overthrow of the constitution.

“I now consider myself as the sole legitimate president elect of the DRC,”Fayulu said in a statement.

“Therefore I ask the Congolese people not to recognize any individual who would claim this authority illegally nor to obey orders that would emanate from such a person.”

Results from the December 30 polls announced by the National Independent Electoral Commission before the appeal by Fayulu had indicated that Tshisekedi had received 38.5% of the vote whereas Fayulu came second with 34.7% and ruling coalition’s Emmanuel Shadary got 23.8% of the total votes.

The results were on Sunday upheld by Constitutional Court but according to Fayulu, he garnered more than 60 percent of the total votes and cannot accept the announced results.

Calls for protests

Meanwhile, Fayulu has called upon the public, especially his supporters to organize protests in various parts of the country.

“I call upon our people to organize peaceful demonstrations across the country to defend our sovereignty,” he said.

The development means Tshisekedi’s swearing in ceremony which is expected to happen  in within 10 days might hang in balance.

Earlier, the Congo government had rebuked a request by the African Union to suspend announcement of final results over what they termed as “serious doubts” when government spokesperson Lambert Mende said they cannot take lectures from anyone about what to do in their own country.

“I do not think anyone has the right to tell the court what to do. I am not under the impression (the AU) fully understands Congo’s judicial process,” Mende told journalists on Friday.

“No country in the world can accept that its judicial process be controlled by an (outside) organisation.”

The polls have been the first peaceful transition since independence.

The outgoing president, Joseph Kabila has been in power for 18 years since the assassination of his father and then president Laurent Desire Kabila.