20120202
Reuters
KINSHASA (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo's ruling party has lost more than 40 percent of its legislative seats to rivals but will remain the largest bloc in parliament, according to full results from a November 28 vote released on Thursday.

The outcome could weaken President Joseph Kabila's rule in the central African state after his own re-election was decried by the opposition as fraudulent in polls which were also criticised by international observers.

"The results of these elections took a long time, but it was to ensure their overall transparency," said election commission chief Daniel Ngoy Mulunda.

Kabila's PPRD party won 63 seats in the 500-seat National Assembly, down from 111 after the previous legislative polls in 2006, Mulunda said. The opposition UDPS party came second with 41 seats while the Kabila-allied PPPD followed with 27 seats.

Some 17 seats in the assembly remain unfilled as Congo's Supreme Court considers requests to have the results of those races thrown out over allegations of fraud or errors. Mulunda said the court had two months to rule on those cases.

Tensions have been high in Congo since the election which pitted Kabila against his chief rival Etienne Tshisekedi. Human Rights Watch has said at least 24 people have been killed by security forces since the first results were announced.