Mr Tshisekedi is now set for swearing in for a second term

The Constitutional Court in the Democratic Republic of Congo has declared Félix Tshisekedi as the final winner of a contested presidential election last month.

The court rejected two legal challenges to the provisional results, the BBC has reported.

Mr Tshisekedi won by  73% of the vote, according to the court, despite independent observers’ reports of widespread irregularities during the 20 December vote.

The poll was also marred by widespread logistical problems, which the opposition said were part of a deliberate plan to rig the results in favor of Mr Tshisekedi.

Only one opposition candidate out of 18 took the matter to court. Others including the runner-up, Moïse Katumbi, refused to mount a legal challenge after questioning the independence of the judiciary.

The Constitutional Court ruled on Tuesday that the reported irregularities could not have impacted the overall result because there was such a big gap between the incumbent and Mr Katumbi, who won around 18% of votes.

The verdict paves the way for Mr Tshisekedi’s swearing-in for a second term on 20 January.