Congo holds presidential poll

KINSHASA – Congo voted yesterday in a presidential run-off vote intended to end decades of war, pillage and kleptocracy that have left the huge country devastated and poor despite its mineral riches.

A pre-dawn thunderstorm turned Kinshasa’s streets into rivers and slowed voting when polling stations opened at 6 a.m. (0500 GMT).As heavy rain lashed down all morning, turnout seemed far lower than at the same time in the first round on July 30.The sprawling capital is a stronghold of former warlord Jean-Pierre Bemba, who faces incumbent Joseph Kabila.A low turnout could hurt Bemba.”The turnout appears to be relatively low, even in the east where it was very high last time around,” said a European Union observer who asked not to be named.”All seems to be calm …but for now there does appear to be a rather weak participation,” a Western diplomat said.Isidor Kaombe waited impatiently at a Kinshasa poll station that opened late because of the rain.”We need this vote to put an end to the mess.With God’s help we will,” he said.Thousands of kilometres away in eastern Congo, where polls opened an hour earlier because of a time difference, voters queued patiently in the Ituri district, ravaged by war.Jules Katasko, 34, could not hold back a smile as he walked away after pushing his paper into the bright orange ballot box in the town of Bunia: “For most of my life we had Mobutu Sese Seko, a dictator.He said ‘Yes’, we all had to do it; he said ‘No’, we all had to stop it.Now it’s us who decide whether it’s ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.”About 25 million Congolese are registered to vote.The elections, the country’s first democratic poll in 40 years, are being accompanied by provincial elections.Results are not expected for up to three weeks.Nampa-Reuters(0500 GMT).As heavy rain lashed down all morning, turnout seemed far lower than at the same time in the first round on July 30.The sprawling capital is a stronghold of former warlord Jean-Pierre Bemba, who faces incumbent Joseph Kabila.A low turnout could hurt Bemba.”The turnout appears to be relatively low, even in the east where it was very high last time around,” said a European Union observer who asked not to be named.”All seems to be calm …but for now there does appear to be a rather weak participation,” a Western diplomat said.Isidor Kaombe waited impatiently at a Kinshasa poll station that opened late because of the rain.”We need this vote to put an end to the mess.With God’s help we will,” he said.Thousands of kilometres away in eastern Congo, where polls opened an hour earlier because of a time difference, voters queued patiently in the Ituri district, ravaged by war.Jules Katasko, 34, could not hold back a smile as he walked away after pushing his paper into the bright orange ballot box in the town of Bunia: “For most of my life we had Mobutu Sese Seko, a dictator.He said ‘Yes’, we all had to do it; he said ‘No’, we all had to stop it.Now it’s us who decide whether it’s ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.”About 25 million Congolese are registered to vote.The elections, the country’s first democratic poll in 40 years, are being accompanied by provincial elections.Results are not expected for up to three weeks.Nampa-Reuters