Catholic Church Questions Surprise Congo Vote Results

Catholic Church Questions Surprise Congo Election Results

Vote is seen as a test of whether the mineral-rich but impoverished country can carry out a peaceful transfer of power

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s powerful Catholic Church denounced official presidential election results on Thursday, stepping into a dispute that threatens the possibility of the country’s first democratic transfer of power since independence.

The church said data collected by its 40,000-strong observer mission showed a different winner from the one announced by Congo’s electoral commission just hours earlier.

The...