By PATRICK ILUNGA

More by this Author

The provisional election results announced on December 31 by the Independent National Electoral Commission (Ceni) gave Félix Tshisekedi another term.

But, while he obtained 73.34 percent of the vote, way ahead of rivals, his opponents have cited irregularities and called for the results to be annulled. There is little chance their demands will be met, but that points to President Tshisekedi’s next challenge: The opponents could derail his focus.

As the results trickled in, opponents Martin Fayulu and Denis Mukwege marshalled protesters in Kinshasa, but they were violently dispersed by the police. The protests erupted across the country but they were crushed.

When Ceni announced the results, jubilation broke out in several towns across the DRC. The camp of Moïse Katumbi, who got 18 percent of the vote, denounced “a mafia electoral process” and promised to issue a rallying call to his supporters to defend “his victory.”

Read: Post-election row brewing in DR Congo

Last week, Christian Mwando Nsimba, a close associate of Mr Katumbi and a former minister who is now an MP, said: “Let’s be courageous men and fight for what is ours and for our children’s Congo and to move forward. We are waiting for the word from our commander [Katumbi], who is going to speak to us. Let’s stop the theft, the injustice in our country.”

“Denis Kadima (Ceni chair) wants to steal our victory. This victory will never be stolen from us. That’s why I’m asking you, on behalf of President Moïse Katumbi, to be ready for battle,” Mwando added.

“As Moïse Katumbi’s high representative in Grand Katanga [southern DRC, his stronghold], I ask the whole of Grand Katanga to stand up and be ready to fight, ready to make the supreme sacrifice because our victory will never be stolen from us.”

Congolese authorities fear that a popular uprising could erupt in Grand Katanga. Lubumbashi, the largest city in Grand Katanga, was calm until January 1, when a handful of people started voicing demands for the independence of Katanga. Interior and Security Minister Peter Kazadi then announced the deployment of more security forces in the region.

President Tshisekedi and his coalition, the Union Sacrée de la Nation (Sacred Union for the Nation), are currently focusing their attention on the forthcoming results of the legislative elections. The challenge is to win a majority in the National Assembly, a majority in the country’s 26 provincial assemblies, the election of the 26 governors and the battle for a majority in the Senate. The UDPS Party of President Tshisekedi, together with the big coalition (which includes dozens of political parties) could also reap dividend in this battle for control of the National Assembly, the provincial assemblies and the management of the provinces with governors.

However, the big concern for President Tshisekedi’s second term could be the conflict in the east of the DRC. Rebel group M23 officially allied itself with former Ceni chair Corneille Nangaa’s newly created Alliance Fleuve Congo (Congo River Alliance).

In a press release on January 2, Bertrand Bisimwa, chairperson of the M23, stated that his movement and Nangaa’s Alliance are now one and the same.