KINSHASA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The second round of voting for a new president of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), if necessary, would be held on Oct. 29, a top election official said on Monday.

    On Sunday, DRC held its first democratic presidential and parliamentary elections in the past four decades.

    Preliminary results of Sunday's voting would come out no later than Aug. 20, and the Supreme Court would announce the final results by Aug. 31, said Apollinaire Malu Malu, the chairman of the independent electoral committee.

    If no candidate secured outright victory in the first round of voting, a second round would be held along with the provincial parliamentary elections, he said.

    If a candidate garnered enough votes in the first round, he/she would be sworn in on Sept. 10, he said, but adding that the inauguration ceremony would be postponed to Dec. 10 if a second round had to be held.

    A candidate has to net over half of the ballots to win the presidency. Enditem