The Democratic Republic of Congo is advancing in the electoral process. The bill on the distribution of electoral seats has been adopted by the government of the Republic. According to the information provided, this draft will be sent to parliament for adoption before its promulgation by the President of the Republic.
Legislative, provincial, municipal and local elections will therefore take place with a specific number of seats per electoral district. The results of the revision of the electoral register whose prior identification and registration of voters took place in three operational areas were taken into account.
However, territories located in operational areas affected by insecurity following armed violence have not been taken into account in this preliminary draft. The CENI renewed the seats as fixed in Law No. 18/05 of May 8, 2018 relating to the same matter for these constituencies.
The Vice-Minister, Minister of the Interior, Security and Customary Affairs, Maître Peter Kazadi, submitted the preliminary draft for examination and adoption to the Council of Ministers on May 26, 2023. This will lead to the reception and processing of applications.
The National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) welcomed this new measure, stating that this adoption is an important step for the DRC. CENCO also invited all political parties and civil society to respect groupings and coalitions in order to allow a correct registration of candidate lists.
The bill on the distribution of electoral seats is a significant step forward in the electoral process in the DRC. This decision will allow the organization of national and local elections with greater transparency and efficiency.