Congo president insists election is legitimate

Joseph Kabila (Photo courtesy
 Wikipedia)

Congo-Kinshasa (MNN) ―The Democratic Republic of Congo is quiet in the wake of election results, but the feeling is that it's a nervous calm.

The Carter Center--an election watchdog--issued a report four days ago that questioned the integrity of the election. 

According to their research, there were tens of thousands of missing votes and unrealistically-high percentages for Kabila. In districts favoring the incumbent, Joseph Kabila, he allegedly won virtually 100% of the vote.

Kabila, meanwhile, shot back this week saying there was no reason to doubt that he had been fairly re-elected. In light of the questionable results, the leading opponent, Etienne Tshisekedi, has also declared himself president.

"The credibility of these elections cannot be put in doubt," Kabila said, adding that he was "definitely not concerned" about findings by the Carter Center that in some districts he had won virtually 100% of the vote.

There are growing doubts about the honesty of the November 28 elections, now that the Carter Center says it can't vouch for "the degree to which they (results) reflect the will of the Congolese people."

Kabila, in power since 2001, seems undeterred. There are concerns that the sporadic violence that accompanied the result announcements in Kinshasa could spread. Sam Vinton with Grace Ministries International says their team has been keeping a close eye on what's been going on. "So far, at least in the area where Grace Ministries International is working (from Bukavu down into the Kindu, Maniema area), there has not been any kind of real (what I would call) 'repercussions'--protesting or fighting--although further north, where one of the candidates was from, there's been trouble."

Still, the Gospel is advancing despite the uncertainties. An evangelism team in the Congo has been going into villages giving out tracts, witnessing house-to-house, and showing the 'GodMan' video in evening meetings. From March through June, they saw the Lord work in the hearts of 4,906 people who trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.

An outburst of violence would prevent teams from traveling. Vinton can't rule it out. He says, "There's been a lot of feeling that the majority of people felt they voted against the President, and yet he has turned out the winner. Fortunately right now, I have not heard anything from our people that there have been any dangerous situations, but it remains to be seen."

Because of the uncertainty, the ministry isn't acting on contingency plans. In fact, now is a good time to present the hope of Christ. Vinton says that people feel like their voices have been ignored, which makes them feel powerless. "I sort of sense that that's there to say: 'Here we are. We're just the common people. We'll never win anyway. They're the ones that have the guns, and they're the ones with all the lawyers in charge of making laws.'"

Vinton goes on to say, "Those people are able to live on, in spite of the problems, and we're able to still share the Gospel and see churches growing. So that part is something we can pray will continue."

The Kama Pastors School is in session with 14 students. Each student is a graduate of one of GMI's 14 three-year Bible Schools and has served in a church for at least three years. Pray for these men and their wives as they further their studies in this three-year program.

Continue to pray for this ministry in the Congo. "Pray that there will be no destructive elements coming in and making people live in worse situations than they're already in," says Vinton, adding that "the big thing for us, of course, is that the Gospel will still go forward."

Council for Human Rights Congratulates Morocco for Fair and Transparent Elections

WASHINGTON, Nov. 28, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Leadership Council for Human Rights congratulates the King and people of Morocco for the open and transparent elections, which took place in a climate of freedom and fairness.

The successful electoral process was appropriately applauded by the governments of the United States, United Kingdom, Spain and France, as well as by international observers.

International media present in Morocco for the elections also reported positively on the elections and the electoral process.

His Majesty, King Mohammed VI, and the people of Morocco have accomplished another milestone in the democratic process in a country critical to America and Europe.

Moroccans in their socio-economic diversity have all been involved in the elections at all levels, and final results show 45.4 percent of the registered voting population took part in the elections, an unexpected increase of 21.6 percent over the previous Parliamentary elections in 2007.

Seventy seats were set aside for younger adults from both genders to ensure that the new Parliament injects new blood and new faces, reflecting the nation's changing population.

In exercising their right to vote, the Moroccan people have installed a moderate Islamic party, the Party of Justice and Development (PJD), which has never been a part of a governing coalition.

This conservative party stands for social justice and development and has won the hearts of all those who voted for it. By showing strong commitment to the changes proposed by the King of Morocco for his country, PJD has seized on the opportunity to participate in the democratic process and worked hard to win the people's trust, and consequently, their votes. In doing so, PJD marginalized radical elements that called for boycotting of the elections.

The Leadership Council for Human rights congratulates the Justice and Development Party (PJD) for the trust vested in it by Moroccans and by committing to form an inclusive government in order to continue the democratic process in an atmosphere of transparency and respect.

The Leadership Council for Human Rights applauds the full commitment of the King and the people of Morocco to the intrinsic values of democracy.

Kathryn Cameron Porter

President and Founder

Leadership Council for Human Rights

ACRU: Election Shows that Tea Party Can't be Part Time

WASHINGTON, Nov. 9, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- "Public employee union victories in Ohio and possibly Michigan on Tuesday as well as the recall of a prominent opponent of illegal immigration in Arizona show that Tea Party-inspired wins are short-lived if not matched by continued activism," said Susan Carleson, chairman and CEO of the American Civil Rights Union. 

"We believe in recall as a way to hold politicians more accountable," Carleson said. "But recall is a double-edged sword. This is a warning bell. The newly awakened conservative forces, including the Tea Party, must understand that sitting on the sidelines is no longer an option. Unions collect mandatory dues that they use to keep their benefactors in power, and those of us who believe in the right to work, the rule of law and other key aspects of economic freedom must work just as hard if not harder."

"Recall is a great tool to remove unworthy public officials, but when recalls target officials who are trying to do the right thing, those brave souls deserve grassroots support," said Robert Knight, ACRU Executive Director. "It's important to note that in Ohio, voters also overwhelmingly passed Issue 3, which rejects the ObamaCare individual mandate. The unions won a reprieve against Gov. Kasich's new law reining in public employee unions by spending five times as much as proponents, but citizens still won't swallow union-supported socialized medicine." 

The ACRU has compiled the most comprehensive Website on recall, www.recalltherogues.org. 

"We urge anyone who wants to know more about recalling public officials to check out our site," Carleson said. "It's the tendency of conservatives when they win a fight, to go home to their normal life, families and businesses, while the Left stays in battle mode, full-time. Tuesday's election should be a wakeup call to the Tea Party and others who want to restore America's freedoms by reducing taxes, regulation and defeating culturally destructive policies. 

"As Ronald Reagan said, 'Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.'"

GAiN cautious but optimistic about Guatemala elections

Guatemala (MNN) ―Ministries have cancelled mission trips. Some reports say violence has increased. So what's the danger in Guatemala? Presidential elections.

President Alvaro Colom will conclude his term as president this January when the winner of the September 11, 2011 elections takes office. Currently, most sources agree that Otto Perez Molina, who lost to Colom in the 2007 elections, is the frontrunner in the race.

The winner will be stepping into a difficult role. The struggling country of Guatemala is still trying to recover from a civil war that ended 15 years ago. It's one of the 10 poorest countries in Latin America, with approximately 29% of the population living below the poverty line.

More frightening still -- and an issue that has been a frequent topic of Guatemala's presidential debates -- is the nation's alarmingly-high homicide rates. Some estimates place Guatemala as the fourth in the world for homicide rates in 2010.

"If the current frontrunner is elected, things should be fine," says Steve Watson, Guatemala Liaison and Trip Leader for Global Aid Network (GAiN). Watson took a group to Guatemala at the beginning of August to work with Campus Crusade for Christ in the city of Chiquimula. They had the chance to help develop ministry with an indigenous people group known as the Chorties, and to bring aid to teachers and students.

During that time, Watson says he was nervous, but things went fine. Beyond political rallies and strikes, nothing disruptive occurred.

Although GAiN's ministry partners are expecting things to go smoothly, Watson says the ministry is still taking precautions.

"We have held off on shipping containers because you never know what the change of government is going to do," says Watson. "So that's the only major disruption we've seen: we're not shipping containers right now."

GAiN cleared its last container in the country last week until the elections end, but the ministry hopes to pick back up with their work to send aid to partners in Guatemala as soon as the coast is clear.

"I do have containers of food, Bibles, clothing and things like that which are ready to ship. Once we see that things are okay, we're going to start shipping again based on how much money we have to ship."

Funding for shipping is always a need. You can help when you click here. Aid goes not just to provide physical needs for recipients, but to share the love of Christ with people who otherwise may never experience it.

Pray for Guatemala as they approach election day. Pray for a leader who will cling to Christ, care for Guatemalans, and bring the nation out of poverty.