– No EU monitors –
Mokoko and Kolelas, along with the three other opposition candidates, have urged people to “exercise their sovereignty” in the event of a Sassou Nguesso victory.
They created their own parallel “technical commission” to monitor the vote and compile information from polling stations to compare it to the official results.
The European Union refused to send election observers to monitor the weekend polls, saying conditions had not been met for a transparent and democratic vote.
The international community has since expressed concern over the fairness of the vote and called for the opposing sides to resolve their differences calmly.
“This vote took place in a worrying context, particularly due to the cut in communications. France is being vigilant and recalls its commitment to transparency and fairness in the electoral process,” said France’s foreign ministry spokesman Romain Nadal.
The EU called on all sides to use legal routes to sort out disagreements over the results and urged the authorities to open communication lines again.
Congo recorded growth of five percent over the five years to 2014 but remains in dire straits, with the vast majority of the population living in abject poverty.
Unemployment hit 34 percent in 2013, the last data available, and stood at 60 percent for 15 to 24-year-olds. The IMF fears “domestic instability” without progress in the battle to eliminate poverty.
Sassou Nguesso served as president from 1979 to 1992 and returned to power in 1997 following a civil war. He won two successive mandates in 2002 and 2009, but both tallies were contested by opposition parties.
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