Congolese voters head to polls
Joseph Kabila is bidding to retain his presidential role
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Sunday, 29, Oct 2006 08:00
Voters in the Democratic Republic of Congo are heading to the central African country's first democratic presidential polls in more than 40 years.
The state emerged from a disastrous five-year civil war in 2003, and now residents must choose between current incumbent Joseph Kabila and former rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba as the man to lead the country.
More than four million people died in the conflict, which has been dubbed Africa's world war owing to DR Congo's centrally located position and the participation in some form or other of the nine countries that border it.
An early morning thunderstorm made the streets in Kinshasa awash with rainwater, but about 25 million registered Congolese are expected to cast their vote in what has been a largely peaceful polling day, although one person has been reported as dead after corruption allegations in the country's north-east.
Mr Kabila came to power in 2001 when his father Laurent was assassinated, and while he is held as the man who ended the war by many people, Mr Bemba holds significant support in the west of the country.
The current president won the first round of elections held at the end of July, but lacked the required 50 per cent majority to claim outright victory.
Today's UN-backed vote is being seen as the most significant in Africa since Nelson Mandela's election ended apartheid in South Africa, but commentators have warned that neither of DR Congo's candidates have the democratic reputation or the eminence of the former leader.