Calls For Restraint In DR Congo After Tense Vote

Election monitors from the US-based Carter Center noted 'serious irregularities' at 21 out of 109 polling stations visited (Credit: AFP)

Western embassies in Democratic Republic of Congo's capital Kinshasa urged restraint on Saturday, after several leading opposition members called this week's election a "sham" and called for protests.

The poor but mineral-rich central African nation held four concurrent polls on Wednesday to elect the president, lawmakers for national and provincial assemblies, as well as local councillors.