DR Congo: Stage victory. International community being challenged by presidential election

For the first time in 41 years, the Democratic Republic of Congo has held democratic elections. The first round of the Presidential and Legislative Elections on July 30th went off relatively smoothly, which had not been expected considering the enormous logistical challenges. Due to the fact that the elections have not lead to a clear result and neither of the candidates achieved the absolute majority, the runoff elections between the current incumbent Joseph Kabila (independent candidate) and the Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba (leader of the former rebellion-movement MLC) are expected to take place on October 29th. The announcement of the provisional outcome on August 20 led to some armed clashes between Kabila's Presidential Guards and the militia of Bemba in the city of Kinshasa. It was only with the help of military and diplomatic interven-tions by the United Nations Organization Mission in the Congo MONUC, accompanied by the European intervention troops EUFOR as well as the CIAT, the International Committee supporting the transition in the DRC, that violence was prevented from escalating. Kabila's Party-Alliance reached a majority within the National Assembly which could secure him the role as prime minister and thus the right to form the government. (SWP Comments / SWP)