DRC ELECTIONS: EARLY RESULTS SHOW KABILA IN LEAD

UNCLAS KINSHASA 001269 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KDEM KPKO CG ELECTIONS SUBJECT: DRC ELECTIONS: EARLY RESULTS SHOW KABILA IN LEAD REF: A. KINSHASA 1264 ¶B. KINSHASA 1257 ¶1. (U) With nearly 20 percent of the DRC's electoral districts reporting their presidential results, Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) figures show that incumbent President Joseph Kabila is leading Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba 48 to 20 percent. As of August 10, 32 of the country's 169 districts have finished compiling ballots after nearly two weeks of counting. Of those districts reporting results, 17 are from the east, 13 are in the west, and two are from the central region of the DRC. A total of 2,151,867 valid votes have been counted thus far, with 1,035,693 going to Kabila and 427,135 going to Bemba. No other candidate has received more than four percent of the total counted from those 20 percent of districts having reported. ¶2. (U) The initial results show Kabila doing well in the eastern provinces, as expected. Kabila has won 16 districts overall, most of them in eastern DRC, in the provinces of Katanga, North Kivu and Orientale. (Kabila also won more than 50 percent of votes in the district of Kabinda in Eastern Kasai.) Bemba so far has won nine districts, most being in the western provinces of Bas-Congo and Equateur. (Bemba was also the winner in the district of Kamiji, south of Mbuji-Mayi, in Eastern Kasai.) Six candidates won the remaining seven districts where results are now known: Pierre Matusila (who won two districts in Bas-Congo),Oscar Kashala (who won one district in Bas-Congo),Nzanga Mobutu (one district in Orientale),Pierre Pay Pay (one district in Katanga),Antoine Gizenga (one district in Bandundu),and Wivine N'Landu (one district in Bas-Congo). ¶3. (U) Initial voter participation rates remain much higher than in the December constitutional referendum, which saw a 64 percent turnout. According to CEI figures, Congolese voter participation is reported to be nearly 75 percent in the 32 districts having thus far reported their results. Turnout continues to be higher in the east, with the highest reported rate of 89.8 percent in the district of Kaila (Maniema province); the lowest reported turnout rate thus far was in Kamiji district (Eastern Kasai province),with 47.36 percent participation. ¶4. (U) According to election officials, results from the important Kinshasa voting districts should become available this weekend (ref A) from some of the more than 8,500 polling stations in the capital. Once these figures are announced, a more complete electoral picture will start to come into focus. CEI workers continue to compile and tabulate presidential ballots at 62 centers nationwide from the 49,746 voting stations established for the July 30 vote. CEI President Abbe Apollinaire Malu Malu continues to say publicly that nationwide provisional presidential results will be announced no later than August 20. MEECE