A coalition backing President Joseph Kabila won Congo's first free parliamentary elections in more than 40 years but fell short of an overall majority, electoral authorities said today.
Mr Kabila's Alliance for the Presidential Majority (AMP) won more than 200 of the 500 parliamentary seats in the July 30 elections, or more than 40 per cent, but needs support from independent parties to name a prime minister for the vast central African state.
Mr Kabila's rival in a presidential run-off scheduled for October 29th, Jean-Pierre Bemba, and his Rally of Congolese Nationalists (RENACO) won more than 100 seats. The exact number of seats commanded by each coalition depends on shifting political allegiances, which may change still further ahead of next month's presidential vote. "We need less than 30 seats.
No doubt in the coming days we will reach a parliamentary majority," AMP spokesman Lambert Mende said, saying his coalition held 224 seats. "We are negotiating with political groups and even individual deputies."
The legislative results followed broadly the same pattern as the presidential first-round ballot, held on the same day, where Mr Kabila won 45 per cent and Bemba 20 percent. Veteran opposition politician Antoine Gizenga's PALU party came third in the parliamentary polls, with 34 seats, emerging as a potential kingmaker.
"The chances are fairly good of Kabila's coalition forming a government ... It would be much more difficult for Bemba," said Jason Stearns, senior analyst at International Crisis Group. "Whoever gets the majority, and can name the prime minister and cabinet ministers, should have an advantage in forging alliances for the presidential second round."