A Republic of Congo opposition leader called Monday for the results of a referendum on presidential term limits that had dire turnout to be annulled.
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Interior Minister Raymond Mboulou slammed the protests as an “organized and coordinated insurrection”, while the secretary-general of Sassou-Nguesso’s Congolese Party of Labor, Pierre Ngolo, told Le Monde it amounted to terrorism.
The electoral commission added that 72.44 percent of the country’s registered voters had turned out for Sunday’s referendum.
“From what we could see on the day of the vote, the announcement that turnout was more than 72 percent is extremely scandalous”, Mierassa told AFP, branding the results a “fraud”.
A Congolese opposition leader on Tuesday branded official referendum results claiming a landslide win for President Denis Sassou Nguesso’s bid to extend his 31-year rule as fraudulent. The opposition, though, has raised questions about the poll, calling it a “constitutional coup”.
However, the official tally for voter turnout contrasts reports from opposition lawmakers, who say that only 10 percent of Congolese voters cast ballots.
The referendum, whose results had initially been expected Wednesday night, proposed two changes to the constitution, which had until now disqualified Sassou Nguesso, 71, from running for re-election in 2016. The constitution also said no presidential candidate should be more than 70 years old and Sassou N’Guesso is 71. There was little information about the rest of the country.
Sassou Nguesso is over the age limit and has already served two consecutive seven-year terms.
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Tension has remained high in Congo as the constitution amendment now allow for a third term of office for the incumbent president. Several such initiatives have provoked violence, and four died in Congo last week when security forces opened fire on protesters.
