Title: The distribution of seats by electoral district in the DRC: the angry opposition
Tension has been at its height in the Democratic Republic of Congo since the declaration of admissibility of the bill on the distribution of seats by electoral district for legislative, provincial, urban, municipal and local elections. This decision, which divides political observers, was taken by the Lower House of Parliament, during a plenary convened on Wednesday May 31, 2023.
However, the opposition decided to boycott the work, after raising concerns about the imbalance of seats observed in the different constituencies. She stressed that the number of seats to be filled by each constituency should be weighted according to the size of the regions concerned.
In his answers, the Minister in charge of Interior and Security, Peter Kazadi, justified that the number of seats is obtained by dividing the total number of registered voters in a constituency by the number of seats to be filled in the Assembly of the province. A seat is allocated to any electoral district that would have a number lower than the electoral quotient, he said.
However, the opposition sees this as a way to favor the ruling party, plunging the country into a climate of deep mistrust and a situation of political crisis.
This decision had national and even international repercussions. The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) who visited the DRC, called for an end to impunity and pleaded for a speedy election. For its part, the organization Suez International, developing solutions to facilitate access to drinking water, has started talks to intervene in Kasai-Central.
The DRC is thus facing a complex situation, characterized by armed conflicts in the East, sexual violence against women, an economic and political crisis, and which could worsen over time if the various actors do not agree on a viable solution to overcome this impasse.
The stakes are high because this distribution of seats must contribute to consolidating a country divided for too long on political and economic issues. It therefore remains to be hoped that the Congolese political class will be able to make the superior interests of the Congolese nation prevail while respecting the choice of the people.