Joseph Kabila: 1,653,643 – 70.26%
Azarias Ruberwa: 142,815 – 6.07%
Jean-Pierre Bemba: 122,290 – 5.20%

Despite a campaign trip to the far-eastern town of Bunia in Province Orientale, Jean-Pierre Bemba had a paltry showing in the region. Province Orientale, bordering Uganda has experienced ongoing violence with the Mai-Mai rebel group and various ethnic militias, particularly in the Ituri region in the far east. In February 2005, a UN convoy was attacked near Bunia, and nine Bangladeshi peacekeepers were killed. Azarias Ruberwa, 51, former leader of the Rwandan-supported rebel group Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD-Goma) and interim vice-president, placed second in this regional vote. Suspicions of his Tutsi origin and strong ties to Rwanda may explain why Ruberwa failed to win the third place overall expected of him.

Natural Resources: The province is rich in gold and diamonds, with the DRC’s primary gold resources — the Kilo-Moto goldbelts in the Ituri region. The provincial capital Kisangani is a center for diamond trading and site of violence between warring groups. Neighboring Uganda and Rwanda have siphoned out significant gold and diamond resources from the area, using them in part of fund the ongoing conflicts.