You're listening to a podcast from the BBC World Service. This is Hard Talk with me, Zainab Bedawi.

Thanks for downloading this edition of the program and I hope you enjoy it.

How far can the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a giant of a country ravaged by war, poverty and disease, set itself on a path of peace and reconciliation?

Well, my guest is Martin Fayulu, the man who claims he won last December's landmark elections

that ended 18 years of divisive rule by Joseph Kabila when Felix Shisakady was declared

the winner.

Mr. Faiuli says the presidency was stolen from him

and that Mr. Kabila is still controlling the Congo behind the scenes.

Martin Faiulu, welcome to Hard Talk.

Thank you.

You describe yourself as president-elect of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

That's not recognized. Why do you

believe the election was stolen from you? I believe just because we had observers. We had the Catholic

church with 40,000 observers. And we also had the leak of results from the Electoral Commission server.

Those results, all of them, including ourselves,

because we had 220,000 witnesses,

and then they come out with the same result that I won by 62% compared to others.

Well, your results give you 62%.

And Felix Shisakady, who is now president, according to you, 119% of the vote.

So, okay, the Catholic bishops, as you say, accept your result.

And there was an extensive investigation by the Financial Times newspaper, which also verified this.

However, we are where we are now.

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