Democratic Republic of Congo opposition parties accused election officials of trying to provoke trouble by delaying Sunday’s scheduled presidential vote, and said they would not tolerate any further postponements.

Felix Tshisekedi, a leading opposition candidate, urged his supporters to stay calm despite the electoral board’s (CENI) decision on Thursday to delay the vote by a week.

The board announced the election, which has been delayed several times since 2016, would now take place on Dec. 30 due to a fire last week that destroyed voting materials.

The poll is meant to choose a successor to President Joseph Kabila, who is due to step down after 18 years in what would be Congo’s first democratic transition.

In remarks to the media and hundreds of chanting supporters, Tshisekedi accused the CENI, which the opposition says follows orders from the government, of trying to provoke his followers to protest in order to later accuse them of causing unrest.

“We are aware of this strategy. That’s why I ask you to remain calm and respect the position that we are announcing,” Tshisekedi said at the headquarters of his Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) party.

The CENI has repeatedly defended itself against charges of bias and says it acts independently.

UDPS secretary-general Jean-Marc Kabund told supporters that any further delays would not be accepted, and the new election date of Dec. 30 was “a red line”.

“If there is a delay of the election after the 30th, you don’t need to wait for our instructions,” Kabund said. (Reuters)