President ahead in early returns

Congo’s president is leading his rival in a tense runoff election, according to the first returns released by the country’s electoral commission.

The results, based on fewer than 1 million ballots from the nation’s 25 million registered voters, show President Joseph Kabila with about 68.5% of the vote, compared with 31.5% for former rebel leader and current Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba.

Last month’s runoff was the culmination of a four-year transition process meant to foster democracy in the Democratic Republic of Congo after decades of dictatorship and war.