Elections: Are They a First Step in Transforming the Democratic Republic of Congo?
July 14, 2006

After 45 years without democratic elections, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is attempting to hold presidential and parliamentary elections on July 30th. The run up to these momentous elections takes place in the context of continued fighting in the east. In the capital, Kinshasa, there’s been acrimonious dialogue between candidates as well as attacks against the press and against opposition protestors. After years of conflict and misrule, organizing the elections in a country the size of Western Europe, has been a major challenge, given the lack of roads and railways linking one side of the DRC to the other.

Some of incumbent President Joseph Kabila's 33 challengers are urging a boycott or delay of the elections, which they say will not be free and fair. Many of these opposition parties are claiming that the security services are being used by the chief of state to threaten them. In addition, supporters of 19 of the 33 presidential candidates are demanding the destruction of 5 million surplus ballot papers. Already, in the city of Kisangani, 10 people have been sentenced to five years in jail for electoral fraud. Another 15,000 people are suspected of registering more than once for the polls.

Both the United Nations and the European Union are seeking to maintain peace. Two thousand EU soldiers, mainly from Germany and France, will support the 17,000 existing UN peacekeepers, which have been held responsible for supervising the election polls. For example, the UN and Congolese army have been trying to disarm rebels in the east where campaigning has been hindered by insecurity. In several regions, candidates are forced to get the permission of the militia in order to campaign in areas under their control.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan praised the EU mission and called on the EU to remain in the DRC following the elections until stability is fully restored. According to AFP news agency, he explained “Too often, the result has been that a hard-won peace fell apart, and the international community has had to return a few years later. That is a tragedy for all concerned.”

International democratic institutions, such as the Carter Center, have been monitoring preparations for the July 30th elections. Since April 2006, the Center sent eight long-term observers throughout the DRC to monitor preparations for the presidential and legislative elections. On the positive side, the observers noted an improvement in the quality of the information disseminated by political parties and candidates. On the other hand, there is still a “…tendency to politicize and sensationalize relatively straight-forward technical issues and unjustly undermine confidence in the electoral process.” According to the Center, training elections staff is also important to instilling public confidence in the elections. Continuing to delay payments to registration and elections workers may seriously disrupt operations in some regions. Considerable responsibility has been placed on the Congolese authorities to ensure fair and peaceful elections. The Center cited examples of some government actors abusing their powers by interfering in other candidate’s campaigns. Also, security forces have failed to show impartiality and restraint when involved in election-related events.

Increasingly, the rights of journalists and human rights workers have been abused prior to the upcoming elections, according to the Human Rights Watch. In an 11-page briefing paper entitled “Journalists and Human Rights Defenders Under Fire,” Human Rights Watch details the increasing attacks, threats, and detentions of journalists, human rights defenders, and members of the political opposition in April and May of 2006. These incidents raise concerns about free speech leading up to DRC’s elections. The paper also criticizes the failure of the Congolese authorities to provide protection from the abuses of the state security services. “The elections cannot be free and fair elections if the press and civil society are too afraid to speak out or engage in legitimate political debate,” said Alison Des Forges, senior advisor to the Africa division of Human Rights Watch.

Background Information on the Elections:
33 presidential candidates
8,650 parliamentary candidates
500 parliamentary seats
267 registered political parties
25m registered voters
50,000 polling stations

Key Presidential Candidates:
President Joseph Kabila
Vice-President Jean-Pierre Bemba, ex-rebel leader
Vice-President Azarias Ruberwa, ex-rebel leader
Vice-President Arthur Z'ahidi Ngoma, ex-rebel leader
Pierre wa Syakassighe Pay-Pay, ex-minister
Francois Joseph Nzanga Ngbangawe Mobutu, son of former leader
Catherine Marthe wa Mbombo Nzuzi, ex-minister

Article Sources

"Tear gas at DR Congo poll protest,” BBC News, 7/11/06

"Congo elections seen on track despite tensions,” Reuters South Africa, 6/24/06

"Second Carter Center Statement on the Election Preparations in the Democratic Republic of Congo,” The Carter Center, 7/12/06

"D.R. Congo: Climate of Fear Threatens Elections,” Human Rights Watch, 6/9/06

News

Freedom House Country Report 2005

Latest News from DRC provided by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

DR Congo News Archive provided by the IFES Election Guide