The president of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), Dénis Kadima, explained that “voting will continue this Wednesday afternoon for the polling stations that opened late and on Thursday for those that did not.”
The National Electoral Commission of the Democratic Republic of Congo announced that the presidential elections will continue this Thursday for the second consecutive day, as disorganization and logistical difficulties the day before did not allow many schools to open their doors.
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The presidential elections in Congo-Kinshasa start late
The President of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), Dénis Kadima, stated in a message broadcast on national television that “voting will continue this Wednesday afternoon for the polling stations that opened late and on Thursday for those that did not have.” .
While the official did not specify in which areas this measure would be applied, Kadima claimed that “the majority of people voted today,” referring to yesterday.
PRESS RELEASE No. 083/CENI/2023
Related to the exemption for the opening of voting offices on December 21, 2023. pic.twitter.com/kGk9UGHpB8— Ceni RDC (@cenirdc)
December 21, 2023
According to previous findings, the delays were due to the fact that voting materials only arrived at the last minute in the majority of the country's polling stations and the polling stations only opened after up to three hours. Authorities blamed the difficulties equally on the poor condition of roads and the climate of insecurity that prevails in Congo.
However, in the districts where the elections were able to take place, there were complaints of “serious irregularities,” including problems with the machines and the discovery of “thousands of false (voting) cards in the homes of certain candidates”; This information was offered by the opposition candidates.
The current president, Félix Tshisekedi, is seeking re-election to office for another term, but his opponents include 2018 Nobel Peace Prize-winning gynecologist Denis Mukwege and key opposition leader Martin Fayulu.
— Denis Mukwege (@DenisMukwege)
December 20, 2023
The Democratic Republic of Congo is the second largest country on the African continent and has a total population of 100 million, of which around 44 million are eligible to vote.
The elections in this country have enormous significance for the continent and an important global impact, as the sub-Saharan country is the largest producer of copper in Africa and the largest producer of cobalt in the world, minerals that drive the global economy and the system of markets.