Candidates have 48 hours after the result to file any appeal, and the Constitutional Court has a week in which to deliberate. Thursday's pre-dawn announcement brought thousands of Tshisekedi supporters onto the streets in celebration, while others who had backed Fayulu came out to protest. Addressing a crowd in Kinshasa, Tshisekedi paid tribute to Kabila whom he described as "a partner for democratic change". The result will determine who will hold a majority in the 500-seat parliament for the next five years. The outgoing National Assembly, which took power in 2011, is currently dominated by Kabila supporters who, even ahead of the announcement, were already claiming to have won a majority.

Source: Bangkok Post January 11, 2019 15:33 UTC