Democratic Republic of Congo is set to vote on Wednesday despite calls for the election to be postponed.
About 40 million Congolese voters go to the polls for the next presidential election on 20 December with President Félix Tshisekedi seeking a second.
DR Congo is the largest country in sub-Saharan Africa, with an estimated population of over 100 million people, which can boast of rich in natural resources.
It holds 70% of the world’s reserves of coltan, a highly prized mineral used to make mobile phones, plus 30% of the world’s diamonds and large quantities of cobalt, copper and bauxite.
The election is highly contested by 20 presidential candidates, including current president Félix Tshisekedi.
Former Prime Minister Augustin Matata Ponyo, including six presidential candidates have earlier withdrawn.
According to reports, four of the candidates who have withdrawn have thrown their support behind Mr Katumbi and his “Together for the Republic” party, while two, Patrice Majondo Mwamba and Joëlle Bile, are now backing President Tshisekedi.
Here are Félix Tshisekedi’s main challengers:
- Martin Fayulu, the man believed by many observers to have been the rightful winner of the 2018 presidential election, even though he came second according to official results.
- Moïse Katumbi, a wealthy businessman and former governor of Katanga province, as well as the owner of the TP Mazembe football team
- Dr Denis Mukwege, the winner of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize for his work with rape survivors.
Candidates paid 160m Congolese francs to participate ($60,000; £47,000) in non-refundable application fees, which is less than the previous election fee of $100,000.
The candidate who gets the most votes becomes the next president, whether they have more than 50% or not for a five-year term in office.
Voting takes place 90 days before the expiry of the current president’s term.
This year, the presidential election will be held concurrently with the election of members of both national and provincial parliaments and local councillors.
The electoral body is expected to announce provisional results on 31 December.
The next president will be sworn into office on 20 January.
