(Bloomberg) -- The Democratic Republic of Congo’s highest court rejected an opposition candidate’s bid to overturn last month’s election results, clearing the way for Felix Tshisekedi to be inaugurated as the next president.
The ruling allows the first democratic transfer of power via the ballot box in the cobalt- and copper-rich nation since it gained independence from Belgium almost six decades ago. It also ends the 18-year rule of President Joseph Kabila, whose tenure was marred by a controversial 2011 election, violent crackdowns on opposition supporters and allegations that he used his position to expand his family’s business interests.
To contact the reporter on this story: William Clowes in Kinshasa at wclowes@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Antony Sguazzin at asguazzin@bloomberg.net, Paul Richardson, Virginia Van Natta
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
Advertisement