Democratic Republic of Congo’s opposition said on Monday it expected one of its candidates to win the presidential election based on early vote tallies, but the ruling coalition said it was confident its candidate had won the chaotic contest.
The competing claims followed a disorderly election day on Sunday in which many Congolese were unable to vote due to an Ebola outbreak, conflict and logistical problems.
After unofficial tallies started to circulate on social media on Monday, mobile internet connections in the capital Kinshasa and other cities slowed down or cut out entirely, residents said, in a possible move by authorities to stop the information from circulating.
Government officials could not be immediately reached for comment. Authorities have cut the internet in the past, saying they sought to stop rumours from spreading during protests.
The vote is meant to choose a successor to President Joseph Kabila after eighteen years in power and could lead to the vast central African country’s first ever democratic transition.
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