Aspirations and Realities in Africa: The DRC's Electoral Sideshow

The long-delayed Congolese presidential elections of 30 December 2018 resulted, by most credible accounts, in a landslide victory for opposition candidate Martin Fayulu, with the candidate backed by the regime of outgoing president Joseph Kabila coming a distant third. Yet a third candidate, Felix Tshisekedi, was announced the winner after he struck a power-sharing deal with Kabila. The massive legislative- and provincial-election victories that were announced for Kabila's supporters—so far without any evidence, as with the presidential results—suggest Tshisekedi's difficult position. This fraudulent outcome was met with lukewarm criticism but eventual acquiescence by foreign powers. Whether this transactional arrangement can survive remains to be seen.