"The success of last Sunday's democratic elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is becoming more and more uncertain following growing fears of widespread violence, vote rigging and ethnic divisions.
Reports from the equatorial African country, which has been stricken by conflict since the fall of dictatorial leader Joseph Mobutu in 1994, suggest that not all votes are being properly counted.
Such administrative problems are arguably inevitable in a country as large as the DRC with such poorly developed transport and communications infrastructures.
But they have not helped political stability at such a critical time, with many presidential candidates using the uncertainty created to put forward threats and, in one case, engage in military action.
Laurent Nkunda, widely believed to be in third place in the race for the DRC's presidency, launched attacks in the unstable eastern Congo region yesterday. While insisting he will accept the result of a democratic election, he and the other 31 candidates have declared their determination to resist results which are perceived to be unfair.
Concern also exists that the incumbent president, Joseph Kabila, may not win enough votes during the first round to secure an overall majority, creating a need for fractious coalition building.
Given the fiercely divided nature of DRC society – grouped on political, ethnic, social and geographical grounds – attempts to establish a mandate for leadership where none exists could be rife with difficulty."
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