The opposition leader in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Etienne Tshisekedi is calling for peaceful demonstrations following presidential elections which he says were fraudulent.

Tshisekedi, a veteran opposition politician who finished second in the poll but declared himself president on Friday, is hopeful that the international community can mediate a solution to the crisis, Albert Moleka told Reuters.

"We insist that the protests will be non-violent. The population know this may be a long, long walk but they are ready for it," Moleka said.

Kinshasa, Congo's populous capital on the banks of the Congo river was mostly quiet with reports of sporadic gunfire on Sunday amid a security crackdown which has seen police and military mobilised and the SMS message network suspended nationwide.

Prison break
Congo's police chief General Charles Bisengimana said at least four prisoners were shot dead after an attempted breakout from a Kinshasa jail early on Sunday, but gave no details of any other casualties of post-election violence.

"It's calm, life is getting back to normal and people are going about their business," Bisengimana said by telephone when asked about the general security situation in the country.

The elections, only the second since the country emerged from a vicious civil war in 2003, have come under growing criticism for irregularities and alleged fraud.
The Carter Center, the U.S.-based watchdog, said in a report on Saturday that the provisional results released by the electoral commission (CENI) lacked credibility, joining a growing number of voices to express concern over the elections.

A turnout of more than 100 percent in Kabila's home region and the disappearance of results from more than 2,000 polling stations in the largely opposition capital suggested "serious irregularities," the rights group said in a statement.

"It is evident that multiple locations, notably several Katanga province constituencies, reported impossibly high rates of 99 to 100 percent voter turnout with all, or nearly all, votes going to incumbent President Joseph Kabila," it said.

"These and other observations point to mismanagement of the results process and compromise the integrity of the presidential election," the statement said.

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Fears of conflict
Part funded by Western donors including Britain, the United States and the European Union, the elections are seen as crucial to re-enforcing stability in Congo. But there are fears that a contested result could drag the country back into conflict.

Security forces and opposition supporters clashed across the country on Friday and Saturday, with gunfire being reported in several cities and at least one person killed.

In London on Saturday evening, police arrested 143 people after a demonstration against Kabila's reelection, a day after about 200 people were arrested in similar violent protests in Brussels, capital of Congo's former colonial ruler Belgium.

Other observer groups have expressed concern about problems in the run up to the polls, and the European Union is expected to release a statement in the coming days.

The electoral commission, headed by an adviser to Kabila, said it would launch an investigation into the irregularities. CENI spokesman Mathieu Mpita said he was "very disturbed" by some of the figures. The Supreme Court is expected to ratify the results before December 17.

Growing frustrations
The government has warned Tshisekedi that declaring himself president is illegal and could spark further violence. Britain and the African Union are among those who have called for calm.

Tshisekedi's spokesman Moleka said Western and African nations were expected to become more involved in trying to end the standoff, and contacts had already been made with some governments.

Kabila, who came to power in 2001 following the assassination of his father, before winning elections in 2006, has yet to speak following the results.

Tshisekedi had hoped to capitalize on growing frustrations within the country over the government's failure to tackle corruption or insecurity, particularly in the east of the country, where rebel groups still roam.

Source: Reuters