Voting begins after delays in getting election materials to tens of thousands of polling booths on time
Polling stations have opened in a high-stakes general election in the Democratic Republic of the Congo pitting the incumbent president, Felix Tshisekedi, against a fragmented opposition, while much of the east of the country is mired in conflict.
Polling stations opened at 6am (0400 GMT in the east; 0500 GMT in the west) on Wednesday and will close at 5pm local time. The first voters cast their ballots at a polling station in the eastern city of Kisangani, in a region an hour ahead of the west of the huge country, which straddles two time zones.
