Image source, AFP Image caption,

This polling station in the east was guarded by a member of a local militia

By Emery Makumeno in Kinshasa & Joseph Winter in London

BBC News

Three ministers and four governors have been disqualified from last month's election in the Democratic Republic of Congo, because of fraud and violence.

They are among 82 candidates excluded from the legislative, provincial and local elections by the electoral body.

But its announcement did not address the presidential election that saw President Félix Tshisekedi re-elected by a landslide.

The opposition has called the entire election a "sham" and demanded a rerun.

Eight of the 18 opposition candidates have responded to the electoral commission's statement by saying it had now "confessed to the fraud".

Martin Fayulu, who came third in the presidential race, asked "by what magic... only the legislative elections were corrupted and not the presidential one"?

Only one candidate has gone to court to challenge the poll. The main ones say they have no faith in the courts and have instead called for the population to "resist electoral fraud" without giving any details.