DRC ELECTIONS: KABILA, BEMBA MOVE TO SECOND ROUND

UNCLAS KINSHASA 001311

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KDEM KPKO ASEC CG ELECTIONS
SUBJECT: DRC ELECTIONS: KABILA, BEMBA MOVE TO SECOND ROUND
RUNOFF

REF: KINSHASA 1307


1. (U) The Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) announced
the evening of August 20 official provisional results from
the DRC's July 30 presidential election. According to CEI
figures, incumbent President Joseph Kabila won 44.81 percent
of the votes cast to Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba's 20.03
percent. As no candidate won a majority of votes in the first
round, according to the country's electoral law Kabila and
Bemba -- the top two vote recipients -- will face off in a
second round of balloting scheduled for October 25.


2. (U) The CEI reported that of the 25,420,199 registered
voters, 17,931,238 went to the polls -- a voter participation
rate of 70.54 percent. (Note: The DRC's constitutional
referendum in December 2005 had a voter turnout of 62
percent. End note.) Of the 17.9 million ballots cast, 993,704
(approximately five percent) were declared null or blank for
having been marked improperly or not marked at all.
Consequently, the number of valid ballots cast in the July 30
presidential election was 16,937,534.


3. (U) According to the CEI, Kabila won 7,590,485 votes to
Bemba's 3,392,592 votes. Antoine Gizenga came in third place
with 13.06 percent (2,211,280 votes),Nzanga Mobutu was in
fourth with 4.77 percent (808,397) and Oscar Kashala was
fifth with 3.46 percent (585,410). The remaining votes were
spread among the other 28 presidential candidates, with only
three of the 28 garnering more than one percent of the total
vote.


4. (U) Bemba won Kinshasa overall with 49 percent of the
vote, although Gizenga did narrowly win one of the capital's
four electoral districts. Gizenga was second overall in
Kinshasa with 22 percent of the vote, and Kabila was third
with slightly less than 15 percent. Nationwide, Kabila's vote
was largely based in the eastern half of the DRC, where he
won the provinces of Katanga, Maniema, North and South Kivu,
and Orientale. Kabila also won the central province of
Eastern Kasai with 36 percent of the vote. Bemba's votes were
focused mostly in western DRC, where he won the provinces of
Bas-Congo and Equateur (in addition to Kinshasa); Bemba also
won Western Kasai province with 32 percent of the vote.
Gizenga handily won his native province of Bandundu with 80
percent of the vote there.


5. (SBU) The announcement of the provisional results was
marred by gunfire and isolated acts of violence in the
downtown area of Kinshasa (septel). Shots were heard around
the CEI's headquarters and elsewhere in Gombe in the hours
starting well before and culminating after the Commission's
announcement, although the area was heavily guarded by
Congolese police and MONUC peacekeepers. Because of the
violence, the televised broadcast of the results was delayed
from its original time of 8pm until after 11pm local time.
Due to security concerns, CEI President Abbe Apollinaire Malu
Malu did not remain to speak with journalists at the CEI's
press center in downtown Kinshasa next to CEI headquarters
(and also next to the Chancery).
MEECE