Anger in Congo Capital as Kabila Builds Poll Lead

The briefing reports on rising tensions in Kinshasa as early election results show incumbent President Joseph Kabila leading over Jean-Pierre Bemba. It warns that a Kabila victory could trigger a return to war by Bemba or Azarias Ruberwa, while a Bemba victory might incite secessionist movements in eastern DRC. The text notes that while only 9.4% of votes had been counted by 14 August 2006, the race appears to be between Kabila and Bemba, with a second round of voting possible in October 2006 if no candidate exceeds 50% of the vote.

• As of 14 August 2006, only 9.4% of votes (65 out of 169 constituencies) had been counted. Early media reports based on these results attributed approximately 46.9% of the vote to Joseph Kabila and 25.4% to Jean-Pierre Bemba, though electoral officials warned that extrapolating a national trend from these limited results is premature.
• There is significant regional tension regarding the election results; Joseph Kabila is strong in the Swahili-speaking east but is deeply unpopular in the Lingala-speaking capital, Kinshasa, which is a stronghold for Jean-Pierre Bemba.
• A victory for Joseph Kabila could lead to a resumption of war, as Jean-Pierre Bemba and Azarias Ruberwa both possess the capacity to initiate conflict. Reports suggest Bemba may use thousands of troops in Kinshasa and Equateur, or potentially the soldiers of General Nkunda in North Kivu, to disrupt the country if he does not win.
• Conversely, a victory for Jean-Pierre Bemba is viewed as an unknown factor that could trigger calls for secession in the eastern part of the DRC, potentially intensifying and spreading conflict.
• If no candidate achieves more than 50% of the vote, a second round of elections is scheduled for October 2006. This runoff is expected to be between Joseph Kabila and Jean-Pierre Bemba, contested by the AMP (Alliance for the Presidential Majority) and the TSK (Tout Sauf Kabila) alliance.

APA

Boshoff, H., & Yav, J. (2006). Anger in Congo Capital as Kabila Builds Poll Lead. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/topics/corruption-and-governance/16-aug-2006-iss-seminar-pretoria-democratic-republic-of-congo-update-a-second-round-of-elections/14-aug-2006-iss-today-anger-in-congo-capital-as-kabila-builds-poll-lead

Chicago

Boshoff, Henri, and Joseph Yav. Anger in Congo Capital as Kabila Builds Poll Lead. Institute for Security Studies, 2006. https://issafrica.org/topics/corruption-and-governance/16-aug-2006-iss-seminar-pretoria-democratic-republic-of-congo-update-a-second-round-of-elections/14-aug-2006-iss-today-anger-in-congo-capital-as-kabila-builds-poll-lead.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Boshoff |first1=Henri |last2=Yav |first2=Joseph |title=Anger in Congo Capital as Kabila Builds Poll Lead |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=14 August 2006 |url=https://issafrica.org/topics/corruption-and-governance/16-aug-2006-iss-seminar-pretoria-democratic-republic-of-congo-update-a-second-round-of-elections/14-aug-2006-iss-today-anger-in-congo-capital-as-kabila-builds-poll-lead |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{boshoff2006anger, author = {Boshoff, Henri and Yav, Joseph}, title = {{Anger in Congo Capital as Kabila Builds Poll Lead}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2006}, month = aug, url = {https://issafrica.org/topics/corruption-and-governance/16-aug-2006-iss-seminar-pretoria-democratic-republic-of-congo-update-a-second-round-of-elections/14-aug-2006-iss-today-anger-in-congo-capital-as-kabila-builds-poll-lead}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }