The main pieces in today's Kinshasa newspapers are related to yesterday's televised message to the nation by losing presidential candidate Jean-Pierre Bemba.

On Monday, the DRC Supreme Court declared Joseph Kabila the winner of the 29 October presidential runoff, rejecting his challenger Jean-Pierre Bemba's objection to the poll result. In a televised statement to the nation on Tuesday, Bemba, leader of the Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC) party, said he "pledges to participate in a republican opposition", according to La Référence Plus. He said he would so "in the higher interest of the nation and [out of] a desire to preserve the peace and prevent the country from slipping into chaos and violence," according to Le Potentiel. In short, "Bemba moves into the opposition in order to spare the country from chaos," Le Palmarès notes.

Bemba said he was "frustrated and disappointed at the manner in which the Supreme Court dealt with his case" La Référence Plus reports. The paper quotes him saying "the trial was neither fair nor just [enough] to restore the transparency and truth of the ballot boxes".

In his statement, Bemba "did not explicitly accept his rival's victory.., much less the Supreme Court's verdict," Le Potentiel notes. This is why the MLC leader appealed to all political and social forces "attached to the ideal of democratic change in the DRC" to "remain united, vigilant and determined...," the paper says. But "when all is said and done, [Bemba's] message [remains] ambiguous" as it contains words like "strong opposition but with no further indication of the meaning of the adjective," Le Potentiel concludes.

However, Le Potentiel notes, the MLC leader's "message meets the international community's concerns until proved otherwise."

Concurring with this view, Le Phare writes: "Jean-Pierre Bemba has chosen the path of wisdom". His message of appeasement, the paper goes on saying, should even "serve as a lesson for all those who think that political adversity is synonymous with hatred and violence."

"It is with curiosity that each Congolese will be watching Bemba as he assumes his new status of a peaceful opponent," Le Phare says of a man who has "led an armed opposition group before participating in a national unity government."

Meanwhile, "the storm has passed," states La Tempête des Tropiques, noting however that "the military presence in different strategic corners ..., especially near the headquarters of MLC and the residence of Vice President Bemba is sign of a certain tension."