Polls open amid fears of violence in DR Congo

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Polls have opened for the Democratic Republic of Congo's presidential elections, after a run-up marred by violence and logistical delays, reports BBC. It is the second presidential poll in DR Congo since the end of 1996-2003 wars which left four million dead.Ahead of the vote, international organisations appealed for calm. Election officials have been scrambling to get ballot papers distributed to all 60,000 of the polling stations in a country which is about two-thirds the size of Western Europe but has very little transport infrastructure. In many inaccessible areas, voting material was delivered by helicopter. In all, 11 candidates are running for president and more than 18,000 are vying for seats in the 500-member parliament.On Sunday, opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi called off a rally which would have contravened the ban on political gathering imposed after his supporters came to blows with those of incumbent President Joseph Kabila on Saturday, leaving three people dead.