The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will hold presidential, parliamentary, provincial and local elections on December 20, 2023. Delays and disruptions were reported in various locations in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Kinshasa, the country's capital, has not been spared. This did not prevent thousands of Kinshasa residents from exercising their right to vote. Narrative.
Published on: 12/20/2023 – 11:33 p.m. Modified on: 12/20/2023 – 11:36 p.m
3 mins
From our special correspondent in Kinshasa,
“Give me the floor, I have too much to say!” » Fabrice, 39 years old, a bricklayer and musician, is one of the residents of Kinshasa for whom the Congolese parliamentary elections were above all a source of frustration and which took place on January 20th. December want to express their anger. “It's a bad election!” A bad election,” the man, who did not find his name on the electoral lists, told reporters.
also read[À revivre] Democratic Republic of Congo elections: Voting continues on Thursday over offices that could not be opened
In another center of the capital, 30-year-old Gabriel sighs. When he arrives at dawn, this bank employee complains: “The Céni [Commission nationale électorale indépendante, NDLR] promised us that the elections would start at 6 a.m. This is a lack of seriousness on his part. Normally these elections would have had to be postponed due to lack of logistical resources etc. They do what we call coercion. »
For several weeks, the question of a possible postponement of these presidential, parliamentary, provincial and sub-municipal elections arose, among other things Security in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, logistical challenge in a country four times the size of France and lack of funding. But for Patricio, 48, this debate may not exist. “A real Congolese cannot speak badly about the Congo,” he says angrily. The people who talk badly about Congo and express criticism here and there are mostly foreigners who want this election to be sabotage. If there is nothing! Everything is in order.” This stylist assures: “The coordination worked very well for me. When we arrived in the morning there were a few problems. But now everything is sorted out and we can do it without any problem. »
“If we were in our first choice, that would be normal”
This Wednesday, many offices in Kinshasa did not open their doors at the scheduled times: 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. The error usually lies in the fact that voting machines are not available or not operational. A situation in which the Céni noted “a delay in the start of electoral operations in some offices spread throughout the territory”. It promised that “all voters who wish to do so will vote” and that offices that open late will be open for 11 hours. As for the offices that did not open their doors this Wednesday, they will do so on December 21, assured Denis Kadima, head of the Céni.
Arguments that will hardly calm the 33-year-old Espoir. When this entrepreneur arrives at his duty station at 6 a.m., he sighs: “I’ve had enough. I'm thinking about going home. I'm very tired. Imagine if you waited six hours without eating anything. You tell yourself that you have to do your duty as a citizen, and then this happens… If this were our first choice, that would be normal. But it's the fourth one and we're supposed to be experts. However, we end up with the same nonsense in every election. »
For its part, the Ministry of Communications mitigated the difficulties of the day. When he “condemns the acts of vandalism observed.” […] and listed throughout the national territory,” the government congratulated “the Congolese people for their mobilization to participate in the elections, which are generally going well throughout the national territory.”
An enthusiasm that several opposition leaders, including Denis Mukwege, apparently do not share. In a press release, the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner said he was “very concerned about the increase in serious dysfunction and irregularities that are shaping the current election.”
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