Title: Opposition pressure for electoral transparency in the DRC
For several weeks, the opposition in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been increasing the pressure for electoral transparency in view of the legislative elections which are to take place at the end of the year. The Lamuka coalition, led by Martin Fayulu, is calling for an external audit of the electoral register by a credible international body, in order to guarantee transparent and credible elections.
Lamuka’s spokesman, Prince Epenge, said the electoral register was “stuffed with dead people, minors, duplicates and policemen, all of whom were not entitled to vote”, and asked the following question: “If Félix does not want to cheat, why does he refuse to let us know what is in the file? The opposition assures that it does not want to boycott the elections, but demands that the electoral register be audited before the submission of candidatures.
The National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) has also made its support for the electoral process conditional on a guarantee of transparency, criticizing the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) for not responding to requests made around the lack of a tripartite framework. , the issue of registration centers that have not been found in the field, the situation of the completeness of the data of registration centers that have experienced malfunctions or the absence of a credible counter-expertise by a international organization specialized in auditing the electoral register. The Catholic bishops believe that “the electoral process is badly started” and call on the Congolese to mobilize to prevent electoral fraud.
Faced with this pressure from the opposition, President Felix Tshisekedi must make a crucial choice for the democratic future of his country.