Sisulu commends DRC elections

International Relations Minister Lindiwe Sisulu says the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Electoral Commission should be lauded for conducting a peaceful and fair election.

The Commission announced Felix Tshisekedi as the provisional winner of the presidential poll held on December the 30th. However, the runner-up Martin Fayulu has approached the constitutional court to petition it to annul the results.

Sisulu says the South African government acknowledges that this wasn’t an easy election

“When you consider that there more than 600 political parties participating, 12 000 candidates for the parliamentary election, and the fact that is the first comprehensive election in the DRC since its independence, and they may have been one or two incidents but it was a peaceful outcome.”

Watch briefing below:

Meanwhile, Zambian President Edgar Lungu has called on political leaders in the DRC to consider a negotiated political settlement for an all-inclusive government. The chairperson of SADC Organ of Politics, Defence and Security, President Lungu says he has engaged the leaders of SADC and the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region. He has urged DRC authorities to resolve the situation that could pose a danger to the peace and stability in that country.

Read statement below: