Early poll results have Kabila leading. The latest report gives Kabila 46 percent and Bemba 24 percent. The results are draw from 25 of the 169 counting centers where the results are being posted. The 25 account for 15 percent of the total voting centers reporting. Centers reporting are evenly split between the east and the west, about half of the 25 comes from the east and the other half form the west with a couple in the center of the country.

The east-west divide that the media and many analysts are proffering are questionable at best. People in the west of the country do not dislike Kabila because he does not speak Lingala. True, they believe he is a foreigner but probably more substantive is that they believe Kabila has sold the country’s wealth to the West while pocketing monies for himself. They also see him as a tool of the west who has dictatorial designs. People in kinshasa, especially believe that if the West is able to put him in power, he will solidify a dictatorial regime.

There is still a long way to go. We will provide daily updates as the results come out. Should you read French, you can follow the updates directly from the Independent Electoral Commission’s website.