Congo presidential hopeful files high court election challenge News
Congo presidential hopeful files high court election challenge

[JURIST] Democratic Republic of Congo [JURIST news archive] Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba [campaign website, in French; Wikipedia profile] filed an anticipated challenge [JURIST report] to the results of last month's presidential run-off election [JURIST report] in the country's Supreme Court Saturday. Congolese military personnel and UN peacekeeping forces surrounded the high court building in downtown Kinshasa as a precaution against rioting. Officials announced Wednesday that Bemba lost the election to incumbent Joseph Kabila [BBC profile; PPRD party website, in French] by 16 percentage points. The challenge alleges seven different violations including ballot-box stuffing, irregularities in voter turnout, and the barring of election officials from some polling places.

Voting fraud [JURIST report] has been an issue [JURIST report] throughout the election. Over 30 people have died [NYT report] in election-related violence since the initial poll July 30. Reuters has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Supreme Court said busing could be used to achieve racial integration

On April 20, 1971, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education that busing of school students could be ordered to achieve racial desegregation.

League of Nations dissolved

On April 20, 1946, the League of Nations was officially dissolved with the close of its final session. Thirty-four countries had attended the final meeting at which they elected to dismantle the organization and bequeath its assets to the United Nations.

Read a history of League of Nations from the UN.

More This Day @ Law... ▸