UN watching post-election situation in DRC

Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-11 03:53:04|Editor: Mu Xuequan
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UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations is closely watching the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as disputes over the outcome of last week's presidential poll might lead to instability, said a UN spokesman on Thursday.

The UN mission in the DRC continues to follow closely developments in the country although it reports that the situation remains relatively calm, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Ahead of the declaration of provisional results on Wednesday, the mission had continued to provide its good offices by meeting with key stakeholders and to try to defuse tensions in line with its mandate, he said.

Following the announcement of the provisional results of the Dec. 30 presidential election, Guterres called on all stakeholders to refrain from violence and to channel any eventual electoral disputes through the established institutional mechanisms.

In a statement issued late Wednesday night, Dujarric said Guterres expressed the hope that the electoral authority, the Constitutional Court, the government, political parties and civil society would each live up to their responsibility in preserving stability and upholding democratic practices in the country.

The secretary-general further reiterated the continued support and commitment of the United Nations, in collaboration with regional actors and international partners, for the consolidation of peace, stability and development in the DRC, said the statement.

DRC elections were long overdue. A political agreement on Dec. 31, 2016 allowed President Joseph Kabila, who has been in power since 2001, to stay on after his term of office had expired, on the condition that elections would be held within 2017. But elections were delayed on the grounds of logistics, triggering unrest. In November 2017, the country's electoral commission published an electoral calendar for the combined presidential, legislative and provincial elections for Dec. 23, 2018. The elections were held on Dec. 30.

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