CATHOLICS, KABILA, OBSERVERS, POLITICAL PARTIES SOUND ALARM ON DRC ELECTIONS

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) should urgently find ways to help the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) navigate its way out of what are clearly fraudulent and chaotic elections

Incumbent Felix Tshisekedi is seeking re-election in a poll that has raised very serious concerns among the Congolese people, independent election monitoring groups and key stakeholders like the Catholic church, former president Joseph Kabila and participating opposition political parties.

The Catholic church has warned about the integrity of the results and the opposition parties have gone further to demand “the reorganisation of these failed elections by a differently structured” electoral body on a date agreed to by all stakeholders.

The provisional presidential results for the polls are expected by December 31, 2023.

However, we would like to appeal to SADC once more to take keen interest in the unfortunate events currently taking place in the DRC, if the legitimacy of the next administration, and the peace, security and stability of the nation has to be guaranteed.

We say so because historically, electoral disagreements in the DRC often ignite civil unrest, with a possibility of plunging the entire nation into chaos.

These elections have been marred with massive and evident electoral fraud such as polling stations opening late and some not opening at all on voting day; malfunctioning electronic voting systems; police confiscating electronic voting machines in specific polling stations, violence, ruling party candidates and supporters being found with electronic voting machines and ballots in their homes, and so on and so forth.

Clearly, the DRC authorities have failed to respect and implement the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, as well as the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections. What is currently happening in the DRC is an apparent planned electoral mismanagement and fraud, and the results of such an election will in no way reflect the will of the Congolese people.

The Congolese people have once again been robbed of their constitutional right to freely and proudly elect their representatives.

We reiterate that SADC must be concerned with Mr Tshisekedi’s irresponsible attempts to disturb the peace, security and stability of the Congo because once the DRC implodes, it’s the region that will bear the consequences of the humanitarian crisis that will unfold.

It is in the best interest of SADC to proactively address the situation in the DRC before the situation degenerates into chaos. Paying a blind eye to the current criminality, impunity, and electoral mismanagement and fraud in the DRC to continue without any intervention from SADC is postponing trouble for the region.

Fred M’membe
President of the Socialist Party