The president of Democratic
Republic of Congo's electoral commission said on Saturday that
he expects the presidential election, originally scheduled for
November, to be delayed until December 2018, lawmakers present
at a speech said.
Patrick Muyaya, a national deputy, told Reuters that
Corneille Nangaa had told delegates at ongoing multi-party talks
that the commission would finish updating the voter registry on
July 31, 2017 and would require an additional 504 days to
organise the vote.
Clashes last week between protesters and security forces
over allegations that President Joseph Kabila is deliberately
delaying the poll to cling to power killed at least 50 people in
the capital Kinshasa.
Kabila denies he is behind the delay, which he says is due
to logistical and budgetary constraints.
