Election violence

Voting in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s second set of elections since the country’s civil war ended in 2003 has been marred by violence and logistical problems.

Authorities said security forces had killed three masked gunmen who attacked a polling station in the country's second city, Lubumbashi.

"Three people were killed, seven were arrested and five handed themselves over after being surrounded by the army," Moise Katumbi, the governor of the local Katanga province, told the Reuters news agency by telephone.

Earlier on Monday, polls had opened in Congo, with voters set to elect a new president and parliament. Over the weekend, at least four people were killed in pre-election violence.

Voting began slowly, as logistical problems like a shortage of ink and the absence of some citizens' names on registration lists threatened to cause delays. The central election commission pledged all eligible citizens would be allowed to exercise their right to vote.

Police also reported an attack by armed men on vehicles carrying 1,000 ballots to a polling station around 3 a.m. The convoy of eight jeeps was heading to Lubumbashi, where much of the pre-election violence had taken place. Police said the attackers dispersed when they opened fire on them, but that the ballots caught fire and were burned.

Kabila expected to win

Incumbent President Joseph Kabila, 40, is expected to win a new five-year term against a divided opposition of 10 opponents. He has ruled for the People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy since 2001.

Supporters of Kabila and his main rival, 79-year-old veteran politician Etienne Tshisekedi, clashed in Kinshasa on Saturday. Dozens were injured and two were killed before police decided to halt all further campaigning to calm the situation.

Allegations of fraud have also loomed, with opposition leaders accusing the electoral commission of bias and a leaked report by an outside consulting firm claiming that tens of thousands of ghost voters had been registered.

More than 18,000 candidates are running for only 500 seats in parliament. About 32 million Congolese are eligible to vote in the central African nation of 71 million.

Results from the presidential race are not expected before December 6, while the results for the national assembly are due January 13.

Author: Andrew Bowen, Nicole Goebel (AFP, dpa)
Editor: Michael Lawton