The influential Catholic Church in the Democratic Republic of Congo says there was a clear winner of Sunday's presidential election based on results it had seen.

Bishops urged the authorities to be truthful and announce the results soon.

The Church had thousands of election monitors and some had reported irregularities.

The electoral commission said the announcement of the result, expected on Sunday, could be delayed.

The head of the commission, Corneille Nangaa, said counting centres were still waiting for more than 80% of voting tallies to be submitted by local polling stations.

The opposition has also complained of irregularities in the election to find a successor to President Joseph Kabila.

He is stepping down after 17 years in office and has promised DR Congo's first orderly transfer of power since it gained independence from Belgium in 1960.

The National Episcopal Conference of Congo (Cenco) did not say who it thought had won.

The Church had been vocal in its opposition to the extension of President Kabila's rule. He was supposed to have stepped down in 2016. (BBC)