BUKAVU, 8 Sept. (IRIN): No single party gained a parliamentary majority in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the results of legislative elections announced on Friday by the Independent Electoral Commission.
The results mean, that a veteran politician, 83 year-old Antoine Gizenga, probably will hold the key to a workable majority.
The political parties needed to win 251 out of 500 parliamentary seats to guarantee control of the legislature and nominate the countrys next prime minister.
The Parti du peuple pour la reconstruction et la democratie (PPRD), led by incumbent President Joseph Kabila, won 111 of the seats, ahead of Vice-President Jean-Pierre Bembas Mouvement pour la libération du Congo (MLC) party, which won 64 seats.
Kabila and Bemba are due to face off in the second round of presidential elections on 29 October, having won 44,8 percent and 20 percent of the votes, respectively.
The 150 independent candidates elected might determine the shape of future alliances.
Besides the PPRD and the MLC, the Parti Lumumbiste Unifies (PALU), led by veteran politician Antoine Gizenga, 83, emerged third with 34 seats. This order reflects the results of the presidential poll announced on 20 August, which ranked the candidates in the same order.
Gizengas position would determine the shape of the government, regardless of a parliamentary majority or the second round of the presidential elections.
Although he has not stated his future position, analysts consider Gizenga ideologically close to former President Laurent Desire Kabila, having fought alongside him against Mobutu Sese Seko, whom Kabila ousted in 1997.
– Given the current situation, we will have a parliament without a clear majority, said Philipe Biyoya, a professor of political science and constitutional affairs at the Universite Protestante of Congo, adding:
– We risk having a parliament where party politics will take precedence over the legislative agenda.
Kilde: FN-bureauet IRINnews
