The CENCO-ECC Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) issued a press release on May 10, after examining the Notice of Call for Candidates for the External Audit Mission of the 2022-2023 Electoral Register of the Democratic Republic of Congo by the CENI.
In this press release, the EOM CENCO-ECC highlighted contradictions in provisions 17 and 14 of the Opinion, as well as a duration of 6 days which, according to it, is insufficient to carry out the audit. The MOE CENCO-ECC believes that the CENI will not be independent and that its report could be directed or manipulated.
The EOM CENCO-ECC warns that if the audit process is carried out as described in the call for applications, mistrust between political actors will be reinforced and public confidence in the electoral process will be further deteriorated.
The press release also recalls that the constitution of an electoral register is often the subject of controversy in most African States. In DR Congo, voter identification and registration operations are also controversial, given the conditions in which they took place.
The MOE CENCO-ECC therefore recommends that an independent body experienced in the matter be identified to carry out the audit as soon as possible, respecting the conditions which preserve national sovereignty, without offending the independence of the body in charge of the mission. .
In short, the EOM CENCO-ECC believes that if the external audit of the electoral register continues as planned, this could lead to a crisis of confidence in the electoral process and lead to challenges to the results of the expected elections.