The European External Action Service spokeswoman on Friday 4 January called for the results of the 30 December presidential elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to be in line with the Congolese vote. These results are expected on 6 January.
Many cases of fraud were reported during the election and, since the elections, the Internet has been cut off in several cities as has the RFI signal.
"The EU joins the calls, inter alia, of the African Union Election Observation Mission and the Chairperson of the AU Commission, to ensure that the results expected to be proclaimed are in line with the vote of the Congolese people", the spokesperson said in a statement.
She warned that "all political actors" in the country have a "responsibility to contribute to the success of this transition in a spirit of reconciliation and peace".
On Thursday 27 December, the EU ambassador to the DRC, Bart Ouvry, was asked by the authorities to leave the country within 48 hours. This expulsion is a response to the extension of EU sanctions against 14 Congolese officials, including the candidate for election, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary.
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, warned that EU measures against the DRC would be "reconsidered in the light of the elections, possibly adapting them accordingly". (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)