Congo Kabila poster Goma FBafilemba.jpg
GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo -- Congolese President Joseph Kabila was sworn in today for another five-year term by the Congolese Supreme Court in the capital of Kinshasa, amid high tensions and questions of legitimacy. Irregularities and fraud marred voting day on November 28 and the week-long count, which led a number of electoral observation missions including the Carter Center, the European Union, and the Catholic Church to deem the process unreliable. Kinshasa's Catholic Archbishop, whose church deployed 30,000 observers across the country, recently said in public statement that the election results did not "represent truth or justice." The Enough Project joined with other rights groups and advocates to express concern about the "growing crisis of legitimacy" while election results remain in dispute.
However, Kabila ignored calls by several international organizations for a postponement of the inauguration until allegations have been addressed and the legitimate, democratic winner determined. In a strong signal from the international community, the only sitting head of state to attend the ceremony was Kabila's longtime ally, President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. However, some Western powers sent their ambassadors, under the threat of persona non-grata designation for non-attendance. Even Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders, who publicly stated that he doesn't believe the observed irregularities affected the ranking of the candidates, did not attend the ceremony, sending a diplomatic signal that more detailed answers to criticisms were expected from the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court's decision to ...
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DR Congo Inauguration Meets World Disapproval
The inauguration of President Joseph Kabila was attended by only one president, and the United States has raised doubts over the legitimacy of his re-election.
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