DRC: The President of the CENI reflects on the holding of elections at the end of December

In his speech on the occasion of the publication of the provisional results of the national legislative elections, the President of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Denis Kadima Kazadi, noted that since 2006, elections in the DRC have faced the same difficulties and irregularities.

According to the President of the CENI, holding elections during the dry season will provide a better opportunity for the deployment of electoral materials.

As for the voting system, the country must transition «towards electronic voting to avoid, in particular, the problem of ballot stuffing».

«I would like to draw the attention of all stakeholders to the fact that since 2006, the electoral processes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have faced the same difficulties and irregularities. The viability of our young democracy depends today on the lessons learned from our four electoral cycles. It is unsustainable for elections to continue to be held during the rainy season, while the dry season offers a conducive environment for the deployment and transportation of electoral materials», Denis Kadima said in his statement.

To strengthen his argument, Denis Kadima Kazadi mentions the issue of the season for holding elections, the question of local compilation centers, and many other concerns.

«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 the Congo. This is the case, for example, with the operation of local result compilation centers (CLCR), which is out of sync with the legal requirement to use the fastest means of result transmission», he pointed out in his reaction.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo organized its fourth electoral cycle last year, increasingly criticized by opposition political leaders who contest Félix Tshisekedi’s reelection with 73.47%.

These various calls by Denis Kadima Kazadi will likely be taken into account in the coming days, especially during the reforms for the fifth electoral cycle scheduled for December 2028.