The African Union has called on authorities in the Congo to delay releasing the final results of the recent elections following reports of vote rigging, an AU statement said on Friday.

“The bloc met on Thursday in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa and concluded there were serious doubts on the conformity of the provisional results, as proclaimed by the National Independent Electoral Commission.

“Accordingly, the heads of state and government called for the suspension of the proclamation of the final results of the elections,’’ it said.

Several international media outlets reported on Tuesday that leaked voting data showed that runner-up Martin Fayulu had definitely won at the polls on Dec. 30.

Britain’s Financial Times as well as France’s RFI and TV5 Monde, said they were leaked full voting data, which had not yet been released.

Analysis showed the man announced the winner by the electoral commission recently, Felix Tshisekedi, actually lost.

Fayulu has cried foul, and appealed to the country’s highest court to order a recount, a matter it is now deliberating.

Fayulu has suggested Tshisekedi and President Joseph Kabila did a back-room deal after early results showed Kabila’s chosen successor, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, finished third.

Western powers have not congratulated Tshisekedi, and France has expressed concern over the official results, which saw Tshisekedi win 38.57 per cent of the vote to Fayulu’s 34.8 per cent.

On Thursday, the AU said it would “urgently dispatch’’ a high-level delegation including its chairperson, Rwandan President Paul Kagame, with the view to reach “a consensus on a way out of the post-electoral crisis in the country.’’ (dpa/NAN)

– Jan. 18, 2018 @ 12:09 GMT |