Congo electoral commission says Kabila wins poll

KINSHASA, Nov 15 (Reuters) Congo's President Joseph Kabila won a presidential run-off with 58.05 percent of votes against 41.95 percent for Vice-President Jean-Pierre Bemba, electoral commission chief Apollinaire Malu Malu said today.

The provisional result, already contested by the former rebel leader Bemba, must still be confirmed by the Supreme Court. The October 29 vote was the culmination of a peace process to end a devastating 1998-2003 war.

''Therefore, having garnered the absolute majority of votes in the second round, Mr Joseph Kabila Kabange is declared president of Democratic Republic of Congo,'' Malu Malu said in an announcement broadcast on state television.

Bemba's coalition had already rejected partial results showing Kabila winning, saying there had been ''systematic cheating'' in the vote count and questioning the credibility of the electoral commission.

The coalition's rejection of the partial results raised tension after dozens of people were killed in clashes between Bemba's and Kabila's forces in August and last weekend.

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