Anger in Congo Capital as Kabila Builds Poll Lead

This briefing discusses the volatile political atmosphere in the Democratic Republic of Congo following its first free elections in over four decades, focusing on the lead held by incumbent President Joseph Kabila over Jean-Pierre Bemba and the potential for renewed conflict.

• As of August 14, 2006, early results from 65 of 169 constituencies (approximately 9.4% of votes) showed incumbent President Joseph Kabila leading with between 46.9% and 48% of the vote, while Jean-Pierre Bemba followed with between 18% and 25.4%. A candidate requires more than 50% of the vote to win outright; otherwise, a second round is scheduled for October 2006.
• There is significant regional tension regarding the election results, with Kabila maintaining strength in the Swahili-speaking east while remaining deeply unpopular in the Lingala-speaking capital, Kinshasa, which is a stronghold for Jean-Pierre Bemba.
• There are concerns that a Kabila victory could trigger a return to war, as Jean-Pierre Bemba and Azarias Ruberwa both possess the capacity to initiate conflict. Unconfirmed reports suggest Bemba may return to war if he does not win, potentially utilizing thousands of troops in Kinshasa and Equateur, or soldiers under General Nkunda in North Kivu.
• A victory for Jean-Pierre Bemba is noted as an unknown factor that could potentially lead to calls for secession in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which might intensify and spread conflict.
• If no candidate achieves over 50% of the vote, a second round is expected between Joseph Kabila and Jean-Pierre Bemba, contested by two major alliances: the Alliance for the Presidential Majority (AMP) and the "Tout Sauf Kabila" (TSK), meaning "All against Kabila" or "Anyone Except Kabila".

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} }