Independent National Electoral Commission (Ceni) agents count votes
during an electricity cut while watched by observers at Kiwele College
in Lubumbashi on December 30, 2018, following the close of polls in the
country's presidential, provincial and national elections. PHOTO |
CAROLINE THIRION | AFP
Leading western powers on Tuesday called on the Democratic
Republic of Congo to restore internet access, which operators say was
cut on government orders a day earlier following presidential elections.
They
also backed a request by the main Congolese election monitoring
organisations to have access to the centres where the votes are being
counted since Sunday's polling day.
The joint statement was issued by the European Union, the United States, Canadian and Swiss heads of mission in Kinshasa.
"We
request that the government refrains from blocking means of
communication, in particular access to the internet and the media," said
the statement.
Internet access was cut on Monday
afternoon for an indefinite period on the orders of the government,
internet operator Global told AFP Monday.
The authorities had also cut mobile phone texting, said mobile phone service Vodacom.
The authorities had also cut mobile phone texting, said mobile phone service Vodacom.
And
Radio France Internationale said its broadcasts had been jammed from
Monday evening. The station has carried extensive coverage of the
presidential election in this francophone country.
The count is underway after Sunday's vote to determine who
succeeds Joseph Kabila as president after his 18 years in power, with
the results expected next Sunday.
But the country's two
main election monitors — the National Episcopal Electoral Conference of
Congo (CENCO) and SYMOCEL, an alliance of citizens' observer missions —
are still trying to get access to the count.
The joint
statement by the western missions supporting their request for access
was also backed by some individual EU member states — Belgium, Britain,
France the Netherlands and Sweden.
Once the results at
individual voting stations have been posted, they have to be compiled
regionally and sent to the National Independent Electoral Commission
(CENI).
There are three front-runners among the 21 candidates for the presidency.
Emmanuel
Ramazani Shadary is Kabila's favoured candidate; Felix Tshisekedi, who
now leads his late father Etienne's UDPS party; and another opposition
leader, Martin Fayulu.
All three have already claimed the vote is going their way.
New Years Eve passed off calmly in the capital Kinshasa, where the city's night spots were open as normal.
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