Heading towards historic presidential elections in the DR. Congo

December 21, 2018

Citizen actions, Article, Good governance, Democracy, Human rights, Elections, Social justice, DR Congo

Against a backdrop of concerns about the reliability and even the holding of elections, the Congolese are nevertheless preparing to try an unprecedented experience in their history: the transfer of presidential power through the ballot box.

Since its independence in 1960, DR Congo has never witnessed a peaceful transfer of presidential power through the ballot box. The elections of December 23, 2018 could be the first to see a sitting President leave his post in favor of another newly elected one, without force.. These elections will therefore, if they are held as planned, have a connotation historical. However, the deleterious context in which they were organized raised multiple questions. After more than two years of waiting, many Congolese citizens still doubt the quality and transparency of this crucial election. Which could lead to disputes over the results in the weeks to come, and lead once again to the conflagration of this great country. After more than a decade of armed conflicts which ravaged the country to the point of calling its existence into question, the Democratic Republic of Congo has resolutely engaged in a process of rebuilding the State through governance based on election as the only means to put an end to recurring political crises and the contestation of the legitimacy of Institutions. While an easing of the political climate has been expected sinceNew Year's Eve Agreement 2016, the months preceding the election were marred by numerous excesses: travel difficulties for certain candidates (notably landing prohibited in various regions), repressed political meetings, clashes between activists ... In addition, certain sticking points have been highlighted and have still not been addressed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) a few days before the election. The electoral register is still suspected of presenting potential fictitious voters. According to an audit carried out by experts from the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) in May 2018, 16.6% voters without fingerprints are registered in the electoral file. At the same time, the CENI unilaterally decided to use electronic machines as a voting method for the elections. Out of surprise, the political opposition was initially opposed to it, before finally developing divergent positions. Some believe that this machine would be acceptable for the elections of deputies given their number (15,355 applications for national deputation are validated for 300 seats and 19,640 applications for provincial ones), they are not necessary with regard to presidential elections which could be done using paper ballots. The opposition coalition “LAMUKA” – which raised awareness about the boycott of the voting machine – has revised its position and now accepts that its activists use it, but only for printing ballot papers. The Congolese electoral law, in its article 23ter, expressly prohibits electronic voting for elections currently being organized. Already questioned on this subject, the CENI has responded several times that, in its opinion, the voting machine does not fall under electronic voting, insofar as it would only be used to “print” the ballot papers. Here we still see possible challenges to the results. The availability of machines across the country also raises questions. If the hundred thousand planned machines are all actually deployed on time to the polling stations, around 400 voters will parade in front of each of them. With the energy and logistical challenges that arise given the size of the country, the challenge remains significant. The question of the deployment and availability of machines arose again less than a week before the election with the fire in the CENI warehouses in Kinshasa, the night of December 12, the origin of which is still unknown. This fire caused the destruction of around 8,000 voting machines intended to be deployed in offices in the city of Kinshasa. Election observation in the DR. Congo Electoral observation is a common practice. The latter can be carried out by one or more independent parties which can be of different orders: foreign observers deployed by their State or on behalf of a regional organization for example. National observers from political parties or civil society may also be deployed. The observation aims to ensure a fair electoral process, conducted according to international standards. This process encourages the protection of civil and political rights. The legitimacy of an election can be affected by criticism from observers. The United Nations Electoral Assistance Division is the best-known organization: permanent staff, observers and election experts who attend elections around the world. Other international organizations like the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the European Union (EU), the Council of Europe, the African Union or even the OIF and the SADC (Southern African Development Community) can also deploy election observation missions. Observers are often concentrated in areas most likely to exhibit irregularities. Finally, we distinguish short-term observers who are present in the weeks preceding or directly following the election, from long-term observations who are present several months before the elections to observe "the electoral context" in a more global way. , as well as possible cases of dispute. Depending on the context, civil society can mobilize to observe elections with the aim of: engaging citizens in the electoral process; to discourage fraud; to expose problems and irregularities; to provide an accurate measure of election quality; to promote confidence in the process and results; and provide recommendations to improve the process for the next election. Longer term, citizen observation of elections helps ensure electoral integrity, and strengthens the capacity of civil society to promote citizen participation, engage in political advocacy and foster government accountability during elections and well beyond the electoral cycle. For the Congolese elections of December 23, 2018, Congolese civil society will constitute the largest observation mission with some 20,000 observers from SYMOCEL (Synergy of Citizen Observation Missions of Elections) and some 40,287,387 observers dispatched by the Congolese Justice and Peace Commission .These observers will be deployed in the 76,000 polling stations. Concerning international observers, it should be noted that observers from the European Union, like those from the (American) Carter Center, were not invited to observe the elections whereas they had been during the last election in 2011. This exclusion seems to be the response to European Union sanctions which affected some key leaders of the regime close to the presidential movement (including the “dolphin” of the outgoing president) on the one hand but remains interpreted, on the other, either as a lack of desire for transparency, or a corollary of the refusal to welcome external financial support. VRT reporter Peter VANDERLIDEN and other journalists were turned away and their visas canceled considered undesirable on Congolese soil during the electoral period.An international presence will however be ensured by members of the SADC and the African Union with some 200 observers across the country.. On the night of December 12, around 8,000 voting machines planned for the city of Kinshasa were burned in a fire whose origin is still unknown. The CENI, despite the concerns expressed, reassures the public by saying that it has other machines in reserve to make up for this loss. A possible postponement? On the morning of December 19, the electoral campaign was suspended in Kinshasa by decision of the Governor of the province for security reasons. Everything suggests that by December 23, not all polling stations will have been equipped with all the equipment planned for the elections. Would the possible postponement not be interpreted as a failure of the CENI team, thus implying its resignation or simply as a subterfuge of the power in place? Particular attention must therefore be paid so that this country does not sink again into a spiral of violence which will not spare the Central African region. 3 days before the elections, CENI remains faced with technical and logistical challenges. “ The delivery of minutes is not yet effective in all voting and compilation centers across the immense territory that is the Democratic Republic of Congo.” And on the eve of the elections? Today we are on the eve of the elections in DR Congo. It is important that the vote takes place in a peaceful climate. This is the message sent by the Episcopal Conference of Bishops (CENCO), meeting in an extraordinary plenary session from November 20 to 22, at the end of which it noted the increasingly displayed determination of the government and the CENI to hold the elections on December 23, 2018, in accordance with the electoral calendar. Despite the differences of opinion on certain important points of the process, all the political parties and groups seem equally determined to go to the elections. CENCO, however, launched an appeal to the Congolese people. She also pleaded for the unity of the country, the integrity of its national territory, justice, peace and the improvement of the living conditions of the population. These elections constitute an important moment for the Congolese people, particularly with a view to exercising their primary sovereign right to choose leaders who will be accountable to them and who will work for their well-being in the years to come. At the same time, the majority and the opposition should participate in the end of the process in a constructive manner and thus avoid verbal escalation and confrontational tactics to guarantee a peaceful election in conditions of security and transparency. In this way, the great challenge will be overcome so that the elections of December 23, 2018 do not constitute yet another missed appointment. . A historic process in which civil society will have played a leading role, from preparation to observation, and which will therefore be able to inspire citizen mobilizations throughout the world. Patrick Balemba.