DR CONGO: President Joseph Kabila and opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi campaign ahead of elections in late November

Record ID: 346417

  • Title: DR CONGO: President Joseph Kabila and opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi campaign ahead of elections in late November
  • Date: 16th November 2011
  • Summary: GOMA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (NOVEMBER 14, 2011) (REUTERS) DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (DRC) SECURITY PERSONNEL WALKING WITH WEAPONS DRC PRESIDENT JOSEPH KABILA WALKING WITH HIS SUPPORTERS KABILA (WEARING WHITE SHIRT) WALKING NEXT TO HIS WIFE KABILA SUPPORTERS WITH FLAGS KABILA SUPPORTERS SINGING AND DANCING KABILA WAVING AT HIS SUPPORTERS FEMALE SUPPORTERS DANCING KABILA SEATED ON STAGE CROWD OF SUPPORTERS LISTENING TO KABILA (SOUNDBITE) (Kiswahili) DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (DRC) PRESIDENT JOSEPH KABILA, SAYING: "They are saying if they don't win elections they will start fighting, they cannot fight and if they do start the war, we will crush them." VARIOUS OF KABILA SUPPORTERS LISTENING DRC OPPOSITION LEADER ETIENNE TSHISEKEDI WAVING AT SUPPORTERS FROM HIS CAR OPPOSITION SUPPORTERS HOLDING TSHISEKEDI POSTERS VARIOUS OF TSHISEKEDI SUPPORTERS WELCOMING HIM TO GOMA TSHISEKEDI WALKING WITH HIS SUPPORTERS CROWD OF TSHISEKEDI SUPPORTERS WAVING AT HIM TSHISEKEDI ON STAGE, WAVING AT HIS SUPPORTERS SUPPORTERS WAVING BACK (SOUNDBITE) (French) DRC OPPOSITION LEADER ETIENNE TSHISEKEDI, SAYING: "The main problem is that of peace, and of security in Congo." TSHISEKEDI SUPPORTERS DANCING
  • Embargoed: 1st December 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Congo
  • Country: Congo, Democratic Republic of
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA2GUZKY7M85IRQFB1B60LVZ2F6
  • Story Text: Election campaigning continued in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday (November 14) as organisers said the presidential and national assembly elections will go ahead as planned on November 28 despite concerns over inadequate preparations.
    Eleven candidates are vying for the presidency and more than 18,000 are due to run for parliament.
    President Joseph Kabila is expected to be re-elected despite facing stiff competition from opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi and from a former ally, Vital Kamerhe.
    Security was tight when current president Kabila took his campaign to volatile regions of eastern Congo where uprisings are regular.
    Accompanied by his wife and party officials, Kabila rubbed shoulders with his supporters in Goma, close to the DRC's eastern border.
    Kabila vowed to crush anyone trying to start conflict in a country where civil war has claimed more than five million lives.
    "They are saying if they don't win elections they will start fighting, they cannot fight and if they do start the war, we will crush them," Kabila told his supporters.
    The 78-year-old Tshisekedi, who returned from self-imposed exile abroad late last year, ratcheted up tensions last week by unilaterally declaring himself president and calling for attacks on prisons to release people he says are political detainees.
    The comments were labelled as treasonous by the government in Kinshasa and drew a sharp rebuke from the African Union, which is trying to keep a lid on confrontation ahead of voting.
    Tshisekedi seemed to be softening his stance by saying his campaigns were based on improving Congo's security.
    "The main problem is that of peace, and of security in Congo," Tshisekedi said.
    The United Nations and the European Union joined those warning against bloodshed. The International Criminal Court (ICC) also vowed last week to investigate perpetrators of election-related crimes, as it is doing in Kenya and Ivory Coast.
    President Joseph Kabila is seen as favourite against a divided opposition, but his challengers have strong support among the country's many ethnic communities.
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