DRC called on to review vote

The U.N. peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo called on the DRC election commission to perform a rigorous review of the Nov. 28 vote. The U.N. mission in DRC, known by its French initials MONUSCO, called on the DRC Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct "a timely and rigorous review" of the Nov. 28 legislative and presidential elections. Recent elections in DRC were only the second since the country gained independence in 1960. President Joseph Kabila denied allegations that he won a second term through vote tampering. Observers with the Carter Center, which has headquarters in Atlanta, said they found the DRC vote lacked credibility. The vote, the center said, didn't accurately "reflect the will of the Congolese people." MONUSCO called for a review of the concerns expressed by election monitors in a fully transparent manner. The peacekeeping mission reminded members of the political environment in DRC of their obligation to refrain from political violence. Clashes erupted last week in Kinshasa between protesters and national police. Supporters of opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi blamed police for firing on civilians in front of his home. More than 30 million people were registered to vote in a contest featuring 11 presidential candidates and roughly 18,000 candidates for the country's legislative assembly.