The Constitutional Court in the Democratic Republic of Congo has dismissed two challenges to the results of last month’s controversial presidential election.
The court confirmed that incumbent President Felix Tshisekedi received 73% of the vote.
This decision was made despite independent observers reporting widespread irregularities during the December 20th vote.
The election was also plagued by logistical issues, which the opposition claimed were part of a deliberate plan to manipulate the results in favor of Mr. Tshisekedi.
Only one opposition candidate out of 18 decided to take the matter to court. Others, including the runner-up, Moïse Katumbi, refused to pursue a legal challenge due to concerns about the impartiality of the judiciary.
On Tuesday, the Constitutional Court ruled that the reported irregularities would not have affected the overall outcome because of the significant gap between the incumbent president and Mr. Katumbi, who received approximately 18% of the votes.
This verdict clears the path for Mr. Tshisekedi to be inaugurated for a second term on January 20th.
