Started on July 4, the work of the forum of stakeholders in the electoral process in the Democratic Republic of Congo ended on Thursday. For three days, the participants engaged in discussions and debated proposals aimed at guaranteeing free, credible, transparent and peaceful elections.
The final day began with a panel moderated by Dany Ayida, representative of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) in the DRC. The participants discussed the theme of the commitment of political parties in the 2023 electoral process. The representatives of the majority and the opposition expressed their responsibilities, their expectations and their demands.
Two other panels followed, one on electoral disputes and the other on the progress of the next stages of the December 2023 elections. Denis Kadima, president of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), was the main speaker of this last panel. He addressed various topics such as rumors around enlistment, the credibility of the electoral register, the constraints related to the organization of elections and the opening of reception and processing offices for applications (BRTC).
The President of the CENI responded to the concerns of the participants and expressed his determination to organize the presidential elections within the constitutional deadlines. Some expressed their satisfaction with the answers provided by Denis Kadima, stressing his desire to guarantee the integrity and transparency of the electoral process.
However, opposition parties have maintained their demands, particularly regarding the audit of the electoral register and the recomposition of the CENI. They consider that trust in the electoral process must be strengthened, including on a psychological level. Despite these differences in position, all the participants stressed the importance of taking into account the recommendations issued during this forum to move the nation forward.
In the end, this event was hailed as a success, allowing stakeholders to come together and express themselves openly. This clarified some issues and built confidence in the electoral process in the DRC. The next step will be to implement the recommendations from this forum to ensure inclusive, transparent and peaceful elections in December 2023