JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Violent clashes broke out Monday in the Democratic Republic of Congo, leaving at least five people dead, as voters turned out for chaotic presidential and parliamentary elections.
In southern Congo, gunmen attacked polling stations in the second-largest city, Lumbumbashi. At least three gunmen and a police officer were killed, according to reports. There was conflicting information about the identity of the fifth victim.
Angry voters burned more than a dozen polling stations in the central city of Kanaga, an opposition stronghold, because of delays. A U.N. official said residents had discovered stuffed ballot boxes, Agence France-Presse reported.
President Joseph Kabila, 40, is expected to defeat his closest rival, Etienne Tshisekedi, 78, and retain power. But analysts say procedures for monitoring the election and settling disputes are so flawed that further violence is likely in coming days, especially if both sides claim victory.
The voting system — a one-round, first-past-the-post system — favors Kabila over 10 rivals. The opposition parties held unsuccessful talks about unifying in the run-up to the election.
In parliamentary balloting, more than 18,000 candidates vied for 500 seats. In one Kinshasa constituency, 1,700 candidates stood for office.
Tension has been rising for days, and Congo’s security forces were on standby.
With 32 million voters, 63,000 polling booths and few roads, Congo’s elections are a massive logistical challenge. Some delays occurred Monday because voting materials failed to arrive on time or at all.
The voting is Congo’s second attempt at democracy since a civil war ended in 2003.
Congo is one of the world’s most resource-rich nations, with $24 trillion in known mineral deposits. Yet it ranks last in the U.N. human-development index. Poverty is rife, with 60 percent of the population living on $1.25 a day.
