The Democratic Republic of Congo is preparing to hold general elections next December, but the mobilization is far from over. The missions and organizations that support the electoral process are, in fact, mobilized and ready to fight for the credibility of these elections. The National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO), within the framework of this process, is indeed concerned with the credibility of the elections and calls on the population to be vigilant so that their choice is respected.
In the current context, the bishops of CENCO alert the Congolese population to their responsibility in these times of elections. “For credible elections, Congolese people, wake up from your sleep! Because it is time that we choose our own leaders. Let no one buy or corrupt our conscience. Six months before the electoral deadlines, we all invite us to be vigilant on the electoral process”, declared CENCO at the end of its 60th plenary assembly held in Lubumbashi (Haut-Katanga).
The bishops of CENCO consider that the Congolese have “been abused in the 2018 elections” and call for “learning lessons and behaving consistently so that from now on, the Institutions with elective mandates in our country are led by people who really elected”.
They also invite the Congolese, during these elections, not to elect “the opportunists who change sides in search of personal interests, those who take as substitutes the members of their families, those who apply at all levels”. It is therefore right that CENCO, as well as other civil society organizations, calls on the Congolese to be vigilant “given the unfortunate experiences of past cycles”. “Let’s not leave the polling stations until we have posted the results”, says CENCO, which believes that “with the display of the results at the level of the polling stations, we will already have a clear idea of the winners . The CENI will have no choice but to confirm them”.
However, if they are vigilant, caring and disrespectful of corruption, the Congolese have every chance of establishing electoral institutions that truly give voice to the people. This is how the elections will contribute to national reconciliation and to the strengthening of peace and democracy in the country.
To complete this overview of Congolese news, find the various articles published on the Fatshimètre blog, which will give you a plurality of points of view on the various political, economic and social issues that animate the DRC.