The historic elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo have a large participation | World

"I feel free," said Victor Balibwa, a 53-year-old civil servant who was one of the first voters to drop his ballot in an urn in Lubumbashi.

These elections, after three adjournments, should designate the successor of President Joseph Kabila, in power since the badbadination of his father in January 2001.

This is the first time Congo can dream of a peaceful transmission of power since independence in 1960.

The current president voted in Kinshasa with his appointed heir, his former Minister of the Interior, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary.

One hour later, one of the two main opposition candidates, Martin Fayulu, did the same.

"It's a great day for me, it's a big day for Congo because it's the end of the dictatorship, the 18 years of the arbitrary Joseph Kabila system. "Fayulu said.

Up to now, no major incident has been recorded in this huge country with a turbulent past, where elections have been postponed in two regions, officially due to violence (Beni-Butembo at East and Yumbi to the west). Vote at St. Raphael School of Kinhasa on Sunday 30 – Photo: Jerome Delay / Associated Press "title =" Vote at St. Raphael School of Kinhasa, / Associated Press Data "src =": image / jpeg; base64, / 9j / 4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD / 2wBDAAMCAgMCAgMDAwMEAwMEBQgFBQQEBQoHBwYIDAoMDAsKCwsNDhIQDQ4RDgsLEBYQERMUFRUVDA8XGBYUGBIUFRT / 2wBDAQMEBAUEBQkFBQkUDQsNFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBT / wgARCAARABkDASIAAhEBAxEB / 8QAGgAAAQUBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECBAUGA // EABYBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMEBf / aAAwDAQACEAMQAAABXvVxAVJmV1FQVUYIrxgaWf8A / 8QAHhAAAQQBBQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAwABAgQTBREUMzT / 2gAIAQEAAQUCDMjwOcZA1LEHs4QpwgOGzi3hI0bPIGqK1H1S61 // xAAbEQACAgMBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIxAwQyEf / aAAgBAwEBPwFw8onNY + hcm3aP / 8QAHREAAQIHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIDBBESMTJBQv / aAAgBAgEBPwGqdxDSncTZB9H / xAAnEAABBAAEBAcAAAAAAAAAAAABAAIDERIhMUEQIoGRQlFhcXLh8P / aAAgBAQAGPwISPMYZveo9fpOkuMCsm1meyLKOLDuSbWs / 7qoi7XcN1tOMbwyNvnuoX008 RK8XdR + + // y6qH5Hh 8QAIhABAAICAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA REhADEQQVGx8GFxkcHh / 9oACAEBAAE / IbKAG1D0HPpgRQwdHWiFOUAiCJRfbPCMMa0vRIWzvwwUFJEXTbzyBktRkdnxrPH + s7DN / s // N ++ aAAwDAQACAAMAAAAQXIc8 / 8QAGREAAwEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAERoTFx / 9oACAEDAQE / EEpFiWjpVKjj 6ZT / xAAZEQEAAwEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABABExgbH / 2gAIAQIBAT8QG7VsJU3Ww8THE // EAB4QAQACAgIDAQAAAAAAAAAAAAERIQAxEPBBUWGB / 9oACAEBAAE / EFWuwBQOokQu6k2DANN9mJQ8iqhdVBldy1BJbaJotWscTFzsrqy1MLQT8GJOObqAq0CZbCLjcOWZcIQ2q / JkszH71LG / 2Q RWdn7z1f3j // == "/>

There were many delays in the voting centers. Many voters spent time searching for their names and focusing on the voters lists. In addition, many electronic ballot boxes did not work.

The voters who managed to vote did not hide their enthusiasm, however.

"I am delighted to vote and finally be able to choose," said Rachel, an 18-year-old student in an electoral college in Goma, where most of her 80 million residents are under 25 years old. .

In total, 40 million registered voters will choose from 21 candidates, most of whom have not campaigned.

Kabila even resigned to run for a third term banned by the Constitution.

His decision was late, the elections having been postponed three times since the end of his second term in late 2016.

The polls predict a defeat of Ramazani Shadary and the victory of Fayulu. In any case, the partial results will only be published on January 6th.

Parallel to the presidential elections, legislative and provincial elections were held.

For these elections, Kinshasa rejected any logistical badistance from the United Nations, present for 20 years in the Congo, as well as any mission of Western observation.

On polling day, the government announced the closure of its land and river borders with its nine neighbors.

On the other hand, the Internet has not been interrupted, as is often the case during elections.

The campaign was marked by violence, with a dozen deaths, according to a human rights badociation, which the authorities deny.

On Saturday night, the two opposition candidates refused to sign a document aimed at preventing violence, thus closing the door to the mediation of African observers.