Western embassies in Democratic Republic of Congo's capital Kinshasa urged restraint on Saturday, after several leading opposition members called this week's election a "sham" and called for protests. The poor but mineral-rich central African nation held four concurrent polls on Wednesday to elect the president, lawmakers for national and provincial assemblies, as well as local councillors. President Felix Tshisekedi, 60, is running for re-election against 18 opposition candidates, some of whom denounced the election as chaotic and full of irregularities. Massive delays and bureaucratic chaos marred the vote on Wednesday, with election authorities struggling to transport voting materials to polling stations on time. Some stations were unable to open at all. The sheer scale of the DRC -- which is roughly the size of continental western Europe -- and its dire infrastructure means that organising elections poses a stark logistical challenge. The country's electoral commission, Ceni, extended the vote until Thursday for stations that had been unable to open on polling day. But ballots were still being cast on Saturday in remote areas, according to some officials, in a sign of continuing difficulties. Amid calls for restraint in Africa's second largest country, following a tense vote that has always faced enormous logistical challenges, FRANCE 24's François Picard is joined by Patrick Muyaya Katembwe. Minister of Communications and Media, Government Spokesperson.
