Constitutional court in DRC expected to confirm election results

The DRC’s Constitutional Court is expected to confirm the provisional results of the recent presidential election on January 10, 2024.

The DRC held its general presidential election on December 20, 2023, in which incumbent President Felix Tshisekedi won with 73% of the vote. Tshisekedi controversially won in 2018 after many irregularities occurred and many believe this to be the case during this cycle as well. Opponents of Tshisekedi claimed both elections were flawed as a result of voter suppression tactics such as limited access to voting stations and restricted access to the internet to control reporting and information sharing.

Public unrest is on the verge of ensuing and authorities have beefed up security to maintain law and order. Despite many opposition parties alleging that the election was a sham, the DRC Constitutional Court is likely to side with the incumbent and not redo the vote to maintain continuity. Additionally, foreign leaders may turn a blind eye to reduce any further risk of destabilizing an already fragile region and maintain friendly ties with the cobalt-rich nation.