Friday, August 04, 2006

DRC: Elections: Breaking News

All I can say, right now, is... WTF?
CNN.com - Congo ballots go up in flames - Aug 3, 2006: "KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) -- A suspicious fire at a major Kinshasa election center during a third day of chaotic poll-counting Thursday deepened concerns over the transparency of the results of Congo's first free elections in more than 40 years.

Used and unused ballots were burned, along with other election material, outside an election office that was meant to process one-quarter of the capital's votes.

The Democratic Republic of Congo held presidential and parliamentary elections Sunday, hoping the vote would be a final move away from the African nation's 1998-2003 war, during which 4 million people were killed."


1 comment:

BRE said...

This is starting to get very serious indeed. A ballot processing station that is responsible for processing 25% of the votes from precincts in the capital Kinshasa does not "mysteriously" or "accidentally" burn marked ballots and election materials.

If MONUC or the U.N. or whoever are there to protect the integrity of the voting, then where the heck are they? Out in the bush? The head of the Electorial Commission or someone with lots of authority and respect needs to go before the nation on national TV and radio ASAP to inform people and to keep them calmed down.

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