From our special envoys in Kinshasa – Two days before the vote on the next president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the electoral commission says it has resolved key logistical difficulties. A statement that leaves many observers perplexed. For both civic organizations and the powerful Catholic Church, only transparency in voting and counting will allow the winner to prove their legitimacy.
The scene hasn't surprised anyone for weeks. At 9 a.m., in the already intense heat at the end of the rainy season, around 200 people wait for the opening of the Ceni (Independent National Electoral Commission) branch in Lemba, one of the 24 municipalities in the Congolese capital Kinshasa.
At around 9:30 a.m., the first arrivals can finally enter the offices to receive a valuable key: a duplicate of their voter ID card. Nelphine, a resident of the town, has already been patient for two hours. “Voter ID is like ID card. We need him to go to the bank to get money. For those who rely on sending money from people living in Europe or the United States, he is very important.” Like millions of Congolese, his photo and identification number have been completely erased from the original. “Compared to previous cards, this card has a real problem.”
Nelphine wants to vote in the December 20 election. To do this, she must obtain a duplicate of her voter ID card from her community center in Kinshasa. © David Gormezano, France 24
In a press release dated Friday December 15, five days before the election, the CENI calls on those who have not managed to obtain their duplicate to still go to their polling station, where it will assist “as the case may be”. become. by the staff”.
“We have the right to vote,” emphasizes Nelphine. “I want to vote for my candidate and we want this to happen peacefully. If people don't have their cards, no one will know the election result. This is a serious problem,” she continues.
Between challenge and chaos
The organization of the December 20 elections has become a thriller in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Many Congolese expected the vote to be postponed after CENI last week made increased requests for operational support from the government, neighboring Angola and even MONUSCO, the United Nations mission. Together for stabilization in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This has been present in the east of the country with 12,500 peacekeepers for more than 20 years, but is due to leave the country soon at the request of the Congolese government.
The election campaign was marked by the chaotic organization of the vote on December 20th by the Independent National Electoral Commission CENI. © David Gormezano, France 24
At D-2, Denis Kadima, the president of Ceni, is confident and assures that voting materials will be available in all 75,000 polling stations. Equipped with a budget of around a billion dollars (or about 920 million euros) to organize this gigantic vote, which, in addition to deciding between 26 presidential candidates, should also allow the election of thousands of national, provincial and municipal councilors, Ceni has experienced many setbacks. In addition to low-quality voter cards, air transport of thousands of tonnes of ballot papers and electronic counting machines in a country covering 2.5 million km2 (an area equivalent to two-thirds of the EU) requires logistics that have only been implemented slowly.
But “the real battle is the condition of the roads,” assures Luc Lutala, spokesman for Symocel (Synergy of Citizen Election Observation Missions). “In his view, the problem in the provinces is not only the air resources provided to the CENI, but the delivery (of electoral materials) between the “hub” and the regional capitals.”
Read also: Candidates, logistics, calendar… what you need to know about the DRC general elections
Returning from a field visit to Tshopo province, he was able to determine that so-called “sensitive” material is present in Kisangani, the provincial capital and electoral center, but doubts the capacity of the Ceni to send it to the main cities of the Reach areas on time.
“We are dealing with a Ceni who does not speak (…). If he mobilizes resources in the final spurt, he will be able to overcome the challenge. We have to believe that the Ceni keeps its word (…). And when election day comes, we’ll see what happens.”
Tens of thousands of observers
On Wednesday, Symocel, which brings together around 10 Congolese civil society associations, will “deploy 22,000 field observers to cover about 80% of polling stations.” Paul Kabeya, spokesman for Regard Citoyen, another civic organization, also claims that “there are 22,500 observers who have been trained. The law allows any observer to be present at the local results collection center, and we will be.”
Supporters of Moïse Katumbi in Kinshasa, December 9, 2023. © David Gormezano, France 24
Luc Lutala believes that the election campaign went correctly. “It's not the best election campaign, but it's not the worst either. Last week we had several candidates reporting restrictions,” he notes. “In Kinshasa, Martin Fayulu complains about being banned from the Martyrs Stadium. Clashes broke out between supporters of one candidate or another, more specifically between those of Félix Tshisekedi and those of Moïse Katumbi. There were attacks by militants who broke up meetings. There were also deaths of men.
However, he believes the lessons have not been learned from the last election in 2018, in which outgoing President Félix Tshisekedi, who is running for a second term, won. “In 2023, of course, we have the same problems as in 2018, only worse. We believe that there is a lack of planning but also a lack of transparency so that all problems can be managed fairly predictably and in a much more professional manner. We “We.” I believe that there are actually internal problems with the ability to plan at CENI,” he adds.
The central headquarters of the Ceni in Kinshasa, December 15, 2023. © David Gormezano, France 24
In 2018, the missions that observed the electoral process and the counting of votes confirmed that their count was very different from the CENI's official one. This gave Félix Tshisekedi the advantage, while observers noted a large lead for Martin Fayulu. The latter, a new candidate, is still contesting the results of the last presidential election.
Although they have the authority to monitor the vote, observers are not legally allowed to publish their voting results. “Only the CENI will publish preliminary results before the courts announce so-called final results, which are irrevocable,” explains Paul Kabeya. “Disputed results, results that do not create consensus, would be very bad news for the country. That’s why we need good elections,” hopes Luc Lutala.
The Catholic Church, an important player
The Congolese Catholic Church had also not published its own figures of its observation mission in 2018, but reiterated that “the analysis of the elements in its possession leads it to believe that the results of the presidential election do not correspond to the figures of its observers.” “.
With its influence over the country's public life since independence in 1960, the church has raised persistent doubts about the credibility of the 2018 electoral process. With a system that mobilized 40,000 people this year (citizen observers, accredited observers and a range of experts). and analysts), “the goal is to observe the process in order to make recommendations. And the goal is to know the truth through the ballot boxes,” says Mgr Donatien Nshole, secretary general of the National Bishops’ Conference of the Congo (Cenco). since February 2017.
“If things go right, there will be no contradiction between what the CENI will publish and what we have observed. In this case, it will be our great contribution to the legitimacy of those who are declared elected. In the event of a “If there is no discrepancy, there will be a problem,” he explains in his office in Kinshasa.
Monsignor Donatien Nshole, Secretary General of Cenco in his office in Kinshasa on December 12, 2023. © David Gormezano, France 24
On the walls, several photos commemorate Pope Francis' visit in January-February 2023 to this country of almost 100 million people, 90% of whom are Christians. At the Martyrs' Stadium in Kinshasa, the sovereign Pope shouted loudly: “Take your hands away from the Democratic Republic of Congo: it is neither a mine to be exploited nor a country to be robbed.” After these words before President Félix Tshisekedi uttered the Archbishop of Kinshasa expressed his desire for “free, transparent, inclusive and peaceful elections”.
On the eve of the election, the church wants to once again throw its full weight into the balance. “In 2018, we urged the population to calm down and wait for the Constitutional Court’s verdict,” recalls Mgr Nshole. “But this time the bishops have sent a different message: they are asking voters not to leave the polling station before the publication (of the results). Because that’s the fundamental step.”
After the change in 2018, the transparency of the ballot in 2023?
With the social institutions it leads in the areas of education and health, which often compensate for the absence of the state, the deeper the Catholic Church's presence in the country, the more important its voice is.
“The people are called upon, in accordance with the Constitution, to peacefully defend their sovereignty regarding the truth of the ballot box. Because the bishops are convinced that the Congolese people will be involved in the consolidation of democracy.” “The concerns of those in power are at the center,” continues Donatien Nshole.
The election of Félix Tshisekedi in 2018 marked the first democratic electoral transition without violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In 2023, the fundamental question lies in the proper conduct of voting and the transparency of vote counting so that the next president has the trust and legitimacy he needs to overcome the immense challenges that await him.
After the Mass, Father Richard blessed the faithful of Saint-Charles Lwanga Parish in Kinshasa on December 10, 2023. © David Gormezano, France 24
In his parish of Saint-Charles-Lwanga, Father Richard invites his faithful after mass to remain confident and pray. “I can only encourage them, it is a civic duty. I encourage those who are committed to taking on roles in our country. I can only bless them as they move forward. I wish there was no violence, because violence sets in.” us back.
On Wednesday from 6 a.m., the Congolese will finally know whether their prayers and incantations will open the doors of the polling stations. The results are expected to be announced on December 31, just before the New Year.
This report was prepared with the participation of Ivan Kasongo, a journalist based in Kinshasa.
