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Congo's Fayulu Will Challenge Election Loss in Court, BBC Says

Congo's Fayulu Will Challenge Election Loss in Court, BBC Says

(Bloomberg) -- Democratic Republic of Congo opposition leader Martin Fayulu will challenge his loss in last month’s presidential election in court, the British Broadcasting Corp. reported.

“I will do whatever is possible for me to do to get the truth because the Congolese want change,” the London-based broadcaster quoted Fayulu as saying. The challenge will have little prospect of success because the court is made up of people who favor President Joseph Kabila, it said.

Congo’s electoral authority on Thursday declared opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi the winner of the Dec. 30 election. Fayulu led opinion polls before the ballot, while Western diplomats have said a large-scale observer mission run by the Catholic Church found he garnered the most votes.

The Constitutional Court must ratify the election results before Tshisekedi can take office. Kabila in May appointed three new judges to the court, two of whom were well-known allies.

To contact the reporter on this story: Paul Richardson in Johannesburg at pmrichardson@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Antony Sguazzin at asguazzin@bloomberg.net, Karl Maier

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