DRC : The President of the CENI reviews the holding of elections in late December
In his speech during the announcement of provisional results of the national legislative elections, Denis Kadima Kazadi, the President of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), noted that since 2006, elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have faced the same difficulties and irregularities.
According to the CENI President, holding elections during the dry season would provide a better opportunity for the deployment of electoral materials. Regarding the voting system, he emphasized that the country should transition « towards electronic voting to avoid issues such as ballot stuffing ».
« I would like to draw the attention of all stakeholders to the fact that since 2006, electoral processes in the Democratic Republic of Congo have faced the same difficulties and irregularities. The viability of our young democracy depends today on lessons learned from our 4 electoral cycles. It is unsustainable for elections to continue during the rainy season, while the dry season offers a conducive environment for the deployment and transportation of electoral materials », stated Denis Kadima in his remarks.
To strengthen his argument, Denis Kadima Kazadi addressed concerns about the timing of elections, the operation of local result compilation centers, and various other issues.
« It is equally unsustainable to see anachronistic provisions coexisting with modern measures in the legal texts governing the organization of elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This is the case, for example, with the functioning of local result compilation centers (CLCR), which is out of sync with the legal requirement to use the fastest way to transmit results », he remarked in his response.
The Democratic Republic of Congo organized its fourth electoral cycle last year, increasingly criticized by opposition political leaders contesting the re-election of Félix Tshisekedi with 73.47%. These various points raised by Denis Kadima Kazadi will likely be taken into account in the coming days, particularly during the reforms for the fifth electoral cycle scheduled for December 2028.
