According to a communiqué released after a High Level Consultation Meeting of Heads of States and Heads of Governments held yesterday in Addis, the participants “attending the meeting concluded that there were serious doubts on the conformity of the provisional results, as proclaimed by the National Independent Electoral Commission, with the votes cast.”
“Accordingly, the Heads of State and Government called for the suspension of the proclamation of the final results of the elections,” the communiqué reads.
The meeting which was chaired by President Paul Kagame also the Chairperson of the African Union agreed to urgently dispatch to the DRC a high-level delegation comprising Kagame and other Heads of State and Government, as well as the Chairperson of the AU Commission, to interact with all Congolese stakeholders, with the view to reaching a consensus on a way out of the post-electoral crisis in the country.
Felix Tshisekedi was announced winner of the presidential elections with 38.57% according to provisional results released by the Congolese National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI).
Martin Fayulu who followed him with 34.83% of votes denounced the results and filed an appeal in the Constitutional Court demanding a manual recount of the votes.
DRC outgoing President Joseph Kabila didn’t attend the meeting that was attended by a number of Heads of State and Government or their representatives from SADC, the ICGLR, ECCAS, ECOWAS, IGAD, EAC, the African members of the UN Security Council, among other officials despite the invitation by President Kagame.
“In arranging for this meeting, I also contacted the President of DRC, President Joseph Kabila, in fact I extended the invitation to him as well. He told me he had wished to participate but because of that exact situation he may not be able to travel,” Kagame said.
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