In a joint statement released on Wednesday, elections observers from the African Union (AU), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the November 28 presidential and parliamentary elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The observers “hail the Congolese people’s determination to hold the second democratic elections on 28 November 2011, as this will consolidate peace, enhance national reconciliation, boost the democratic process and lay the foundation for lasting peace, economic and social development”, the statement said.

The observers said they welcomed “the successful holding of the elections despite the numerous challenges which the country is confronted with.”

They noted “the technical and logistical challenges that overshadowed the holding of the elections” and “some isolated acts of violence during the elections.”

The observers called on “the Congolese political stakeholders to continue to show a high sense of responsibility by accepting the outcome of the polls, and should there be any dispute, due legal processes should be pursued.”

Read statement (pdf file)