Congo votes for president as conflict and smudged ballots lead to fears election won’t be credible

By SAM MEDNICK and RUTH ALONGA
Associated Press

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Congo is seeing opening delays of up to seven hours in a presidential election facing steep logistical and security challenges. Some ballots are so smudged they are illegible, and some people say they can’t find their names on voting rolls. Some 44 million people, or almost half the population, were expected to vote. But many could struggle to cast ballots, including several million displaced by conflict in the vast country’s east. At stake is the credibility of the vote in one of Africa’s largest nations and one whose mineral resources are increasingly crucial to the global economy.