Congo Court Confirms Tshisekedi as President; Rival Disputes
- Constitutional Court rules Tshisekedi won Dec. 30 election
- Decision ends Kabila’s 18-year rule of cobalt-rich country
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Democratic Republic of Congo’s Constitutional Court confirmed opposition leader Felix Tshiskedi as the next president, while rival Martin Fayulu rejected the ruling and declared himself the rightful head of state.
The court judgment in the early hours of Sunday in Kinshasa, the capital, clears the way for the first transfer of power via the ballot box in the cobalt- and copper-rich nation since it gained independence from Belgium almost six decades ago. It also places the country on a collision course with the African Union, which had called for a suspension of the proclamation of Tshisekedi’s victory because of doubts about the veracity of the results.