Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Friday 4 January 2019
Congo's Catholic church says data show clear election winner

By MATHILDE BOUSSION be compiled transparently,
SALEH MWANAMILONGO with observers present, so
Associated Press that the votes of millions of
KINSHASA, Congo (AP) people "were not cast in
— The Catholic church in vain."
Congo announced Thurs- The internet outage has
day its data show a clear hampered the election ob-
winner in Sunday's presi- servers' work. No Western
dential election, and it election observers were
called on the electoral invited to watch the vote,
commission to publish the which was meant to occur
true results in "respect of in late 2016, after Congo's
truth and justice." government was annoyed
The church, a powerful at international pressure
voice in the heavily Catho- amid concerns that Kabila
lic nation, deployed some was trying to stay in power.
40,000 electoral observers "The decision to cut internet
but could not say who the and text messages ham-
clear winner appeared to pered the transmission of
be, as Congo's electoral Father Donatien Nshole, general secretary of the Congolese Episcopalian National Conference data from the field," said
(CENCO) speaks to reporters following the presentation of CENCO's preliminary declaration on
regulations forbid anyone the Congo elections in Kinshasa Thursday Jan. 3, 2019. Cyrille Ebotoko, technical
but the electoral commis- Associated Press supervisor of the Catholic
sion to announce results. church's observer mission.
Observers have reported whom Kabila put forward while some Congolese ex- speculation about the re- "It delayed our work by
multiple irregularities as the as his preferred successor, pressed doubt that the first sults. three days and consider-
vast, mineral-rich Central Emmanuel Ramazani Sha- results would be released The United States urged ably increased the cost
African country voted for dary, already has said he on Sunday as expected. Congo to release accurate since everything had to be
a successor to departing expected to win, while poll- "We are working hard to results and restore internet done by phone."
President Joseph Kabila. ing before the election had announce them as soon access, warning that those Thirty-eight percent of the
This could be its first peace- top opposition candidate as possible," Corneille Nan- who undermine the demo- some 40,000 polling stations
ful, democratic transfer Martin Fayulu ahead. gaa said. cratic process could face the mission observed were
of power since indepen- The electoral commission's The internet remained U.S. sanctions. The State still missing electoral mate-
dence from Belgium in president said it had col- blocked in the country in Department noted the re- rials more than three hours
1960. lected results from about 20 an apparent attempt by ported troubles on election after polls opened on Sun-
The ruling party loyalist percent of polling stations, the government to calm day and said results should day, the mission said.q

Peru's attorney general reverses course on corruption probe

By FRANKLIN BRICENO the opposition party led by The agreement was due to
Associated Press former first daughter Kei- be signed in early January.
LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peru's at- ko Fujimori, who is among Chavarry made his surprise
torney general on Wednes- those being investigated. announcement of the pros-
day reversed his dismissal of But she backed the presi- ecutors' removal in the final
the lead investigators in a dent's proposal Wednes- hours of New Year's Eve. He
sweeping corruption probe day. said he removed Perez for
into top officials, retreating The fight arose over the questioning his election as
in the face of a growing Brazilian construction firm attorney general and Vela
public outcry and a bid by Oderbrecht, which has ad- for supporting him. Chavar-
the president that could re- mitted in U.S. court filings ry also accused the pros-
move him from office. to winning public works ecutors of blocking his re-
Attorney General Pedro contracts by paying $800 quest for information on the
Chavarry's announcement million in bribes to officials Odebrecht case, and he
came just two days after across Latin America, in- said Perez had made state-
he abruptly removed the A demonstrator holds up a poster that reads in Spanish: "Get cluding $29 million in Peru. ments calling into doubt his
out Chavarry!", referring to Attorney General Pedro Chavarry, in
prosecutors, a move that Lima, Peru, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019. Chavarry reinstated chief objectivity.
sparked street protests Associated Press prosecutor Jose Domingo Prosecutors also have pub-
across Peru. Perez and the investigating licly accused Chavarry of
The action threatened to clare an emergency in the versal of course. team's fiscal coordinator, having ties with criminal
derail the investigation into office, which could pave "It is good that a decision Rafael Vela. In December, organizations made up of
whether several former the way for Chavarry's re- under such scrutiny has they reached an agree- magistrates and business-
presidents and other high- moval. been rectified," Vizcarra ment with Odebrecht ex- men who bartered power
ranking officials accepted Vizcarra walked down a said after leaving Con- ecutives who said they for favors or money — a
money from the Brazilian Lima street to the congres- gress, but he added that would deliver documents point Vizcarra used in pitch-
construction giant Odebre- sional building to hand-de- he would press forward with exposing bribes made to ing his proposed legislation
cht. liver the proposed legisla- his drive to root out corrup- officials. to Congress.
Despite Chavarry's retreat, tion, trailed by a crowd of tion in the Public Prosecu- Prosecutors say the evi- The far-reaching probe in-
President Martin Vizcarra roughly 2,000 supporters, a tor's Office. dence is key to their cases cludes 40 individual cases,
pressed forward with his sign of his growing support It was unclear when law- against opposition led by more than 300 people and
plans to rebuild the attor- among Peruvians tired of makers might take up the powerful former first daugh- dozens of companies, all
ney general's office. He public corruption. president's bill. ter Keiko Fujimori and for- linked to Odebrecht proj-
urged lawmakers to de- He praised Chavarry's re- Congress is controlled by mer President Alan Garcia. ects in Peru.q