Word: bemba
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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INAUGURATED. Joseph Kabila, 35, as the Democratic Republic of Congo's first freely elected President in more than 40 years; in the capital, Kinshasa. Kabila-who has served as the country's leader since the assassination of his father, President Laurent Kabila, in 2001-defeated Jean-Pierre Bemba in an electoral runoff in October. Addressing dignitaries alongside the Congo River, Kabila vowed to end the corruption and violence that have ravaged the mineral-rich country: "I can see the Congo of tomorrow carrying the hopes of a renascent Africa," he said...
...first free Congolese election in 40 years ended with the high court rejecting challenger Jean Pierre Bemba's charges of cheating. Joseph Kabila will be sworn in for a second term this week...
...runoff between President Joseph Kabila and former rebel chief Jean-Pierre Bemba--three months after Congo's first free election in more than 40 years--Kabila led, with 58% of the votes. But Bemba, claiming "systematic cheating," has taken the case to the Supreme Court, where last week pro-Bemba protests erupted in violence. The resulting delays could hold off Kabila's Dec. 10 swearing...
...geography of the two men's support illustrates how deeply divided the vast country is. Kabila was the overwhelming favorite in eastern Congo, which bore the brunt of the fighting during the long-running war, and where most people are desperate for peace. Support for Bemba is strongest in the center and far west of the country. The area around Kinshasa went to a third candidate, veteran politician Antoine Gizenga. Many in the west, including residents of Kinshasa, resent Kabila's rise to power and see him as an interloper who grew up in Tanzania and struggles in Lingala...
...other presidential runners had, after all, already claimed the vote was rigged. But even with a second round now required, tensions have spilled over, and defusing them will prove difficult. It is unclear whether Kabila backs his supporters' violence or if they are acting as a renegade force. And Bemba may presume that with little chance of winning the president's palace he may as well return to the bush and his old violent ways...