DRC ELECTIONS: BEMBA SAYS HE WILL CHALLENGE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 001762 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KDEM CG ELECTIONS SUBJECT: DRC ELECTIONS: BEMBA SAYS HE WILL CHALLENGE ELECTION RESULTS REF: A. KINSHASA 1755 ¶B. KINSHASA 1759 ¶C. KINSHASA 1752 ¶1. (U) Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba said November 16 that he cannot accept the results of the DRC's October 29 presidential election and that he will use legal means to challenge the outcome. Bemba read a statement in both French and Lingala in a special broadcast on one of the Kinshasa-based television stations he owns. The Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) announced provisional results November 15 showing that President Joseph Kabila had defeated Bemba by 58.05 to 41.95 percent (ref A). ¶2. (U) Bemba claimed that the CEI's figures were "far from reflecting the truth of the ballot boxes." He said he and his Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC) party had raised six complaints with the CEI concerning irregularities that needed to be addressed. The Commission, he added, had only responded to two of them before publishing provisional results. Bemba said he was especially concerned about the 1.4 million people, or ten percent of all voters, who voted outside their home districts. (Note: As reported ref B, the CEI announced that 1.095 million people had voted in this category. It is not clear how Bemba arrived at the larger figure. End note.) ¶3. (U) Bemba complained the CEI did not abide by an understanding that the CEI would advise the candidates 48 hours in advance of the announcement of provisional results. The time period was designed to give candidates and their allies time to analyze the results and respond to any potential irregularities. ¶4. (SBU) Bemba's rejection of the election results follows a November 14 statement by members of his Union for the Nation (UN) alliance (ref C). They argued Bemba had won the election with 52.5 percent, but provided no evidence to back up their claim. The UN alliance said it would reserve the right to renounce any of the previous post-election agreements reached with Kabila and his Alliance for the Presidential Majority (AMP). (Note: None of the signatories to the November 14 statement had represented Bemba during the negotiation of these agreements nor were they parties to those agreements. End note.) ¶5. (U) In a moderate toned response, AMP spokesman Olivier Kamitatu said November 16 that Bemba of course has the right to use legal channels to contest the results. He said Bemba must now provide proof of his allegations of any possible irregularities. PPRD Secretary General Vital Kamehre essentially conveyed the same measured response as Kamitatu in a television interview November 16. ¶6. CEI President Apollinaire Malu Malu also commented publicly, stating that the CEI has done its work and that the job of adjudicating the MLC claims is with the Supreme Court. Malu Malu also confirmed that a formal response was made to the MLC in response to all of the MLC complaints presented to it. ¶7. (SBU) Comment: Bemba has the right to contest the election through the proper legal channels and has pledged in public and private conversations to do so. The tone of his message, however, leaves room for the hard-liners around him to continue inciting others who believe the election may have been "stolen" by Kabila. End comment. ¶8. (U) The following is Post's unofficial translation of Bemba's statement: "I learned like everyone else, through the media, of the second-round presidential election results published by the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI). I was very surprised to learn that the CEI did not, as agreed, notify the candidates of the results in order to permit them to react within 48 hours. I remind national and international observers that these elections have been the object of several challenges, including six petitions I personally addressed to the CEI, notably that concerning the number of 1,481,291 people who voted outside their electoral districts and which constitutes nearly ten percent of votes cast. As of today, the CEI has KINSHASA 00001762 002 OF 002 only responded to two of these petitions and in a manner not at all satisfactory. Faced with this situation, I regret to say to our people and the international community that I cannot accept these results which are far from reflecting the truth of the ballot box. I undertake to use all legal means to respect the will of our people. I cannot end this address without sincerely thanking the Congolese people for placing their confidence in me, and I confirm my firm determination never to betray them. May God bless the Democratic Republic of Congo." End text. MEECE