Den indflydelsesrige katolske kirke i DR Congo (tidl. Zaire) havde det største uafhængige observatørkorps på plads ved de seneste valg i kæmpelandet
Catholic bishops in the DR Congo have denounced elections in November which re-elected President Joseph Kabila, BBC online reports Saturday.
A statement from 35 bishops complains of “treachery (forræderi), lies and terror” and calls on the election commission to correct “serious errors” or resign.
Last week, the archbishop of Kinshasa called for a campaign of disobedience (civil ulydighed) and for the results to be annulled.
International observers said the elections suffered from widespread irregularities. In the elections more than 18.000 candidates contested 500 parliamentary seats and 11 candidates vied for the presidency.
Full parliamentary results had been due on Friday but have been postponed until next week. However, despite the allegations, incumbent President Joseph Kabila was declared the winner by the Supreme Court and inaugurated (indsat) in December.
Opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi rejected Mr Kabila’s victory and held his own swearing-in ceremony.
The Catholic Church – which holds considerable influence in the overwhelmingly Christian nation – had the largest network of independent observers during the election.
“We cannot build a state in a culture of treachery, lies and terror, of militarisation and the flagrant violation of the freedom of expression,” the Catholic bishops council said in a statement read out at a special service in the capital’s largest cathedral.
The elections were the first Congolese-organised polls since the end of a devastating war in 2003 that left millions dead.
