Martin Fayulu, a key figure in the main Lamuka opposition coalition in the Democratic Republic of Congo, confirmed on Saturday that he will run in the country’s next presidential election.
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He will be one of the president’s main challengers Felix Tshisekediwho beat Fayulu during the December 2018 election and is seeking a second term.
The largest country in sub-Saharan Africa votes on December 20 for the presidencynational legislature, provincial assemblies and local councils.
“The Lamuka coalition registered me as a candidate for the presidential election,” Fayulu told reporters in the capital Kinshasa.
“We will continue to fight to ensure the transparency of the elections,” he said.
Fayulu consistently maintains that the 2018 presidential vote, in which he came second, was rigged.
“We failed to have the electoral rolls re-audited. But we will ensure transparency by monitoring (the vote),” he said.
Lamuka member Fayulu’s Engagement for Citizenship and Development party claims the electoral list is inaccurate and has refused to field candidates in the parliamentary, regional and local elections.
The party claims that of the 43.9 million voters registered on the electoral roll, around 10 million are “fictitious”.
“This time we are not letting that happen. We are not going to tolerate fraud” said Fayulu, a 66-year-old former senior executive at oil giant ExxonMobil.
“We must prevent the electoral farce that is brewing.”
Fayulu said that although the opposition had failed to get the voter rolls re-verified, its “pressure” had produced some progress.
This included the head of the electoral commission agreeing to publish the election results on a “polling station by polling station” basis.
(AFP)
