Congo opposition denounce partial results of presidential poll

Opposition candidates in the Republic of Congo’s presidential elections have disputed0 partial results from Sunday’s polls that put incumbent President Denis Sassou Nguesso in the lead.

The partial results released on Tuesday indicate that the 72-year-old leader has polled 67 percent of the votes. Tuesday’s results were based on results from 72 out of 111 voting districts.

Former security chief, General Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko has also denounced the results.

General Mokoko, a longtime ally of Nguesso announced his intentions to run for office last month days after he resigned as the president’s advisor on peace and security.

Présidentielle #Congo2016 : le général Mokoko conteste les résultats partiels annoncés hier https://t.co/vNKJwbjgws pic.twitter.com/7rBqTMofk9

— TV5MONDE Infos (@TV5MONDEINFO) March 23, 2016

Reports say the head of a coalition of five opposition candidates, Charles Zacharie Bowao, has released his own collated results which indicate that Nguesso is trailing other candidates.

The European Union failed to send a team of officials to monitor the polls which took place on March 20 having dismissed recent electoral reforms in the country.

The United States on the other hand has urged the government to restore communications across the country and to complete the electoral process with fairness and transparency.

“We note numerous reports of irregularities that have raised concerns about the credibility of the process, including the media blackout during the polls, an imbalanced and restrictive media environment, significant disparity in access to state resources, a short time frame for electoral preparations, and restrictions on freedoms of expression, communication, and association in the pre-election period,” the US department of state said in a “statement.“http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2016/03/254877.htm