The dynamics of the citizens’ movements of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) recently published a press release in which it expressed its serious concern about the restriction of civic space and the electoral pressure which jeopardize the Congolese nation. This dynamic, made up of civil society organizations such as LUCHA, Filimbi, the Congolese Debout and the Mouvement Justice en Action, denounced in particular the controversial establishment of the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) as well as the “tailor-made” electoral law, which according to them demonstrates a unilateral management of the electoral process, without taking into account the suggestions of all the stakeholders, including the opposition and civil society.
The dynamics of citizen movements therefore recommends the suspension of the examination of the bill on the distribution of seats, to first build a consensus around the electoral roll and the entire electoral process. For them, the elections scheduled for December 2023 must be transparent, credible, peaceful, democratic and inclusive. They then call on the CENI to carry out a counter-expertise of the external audit of the electoral register to ensure its credibility.
The dynamic of citizens’ movements has also invited the international community, in particular the partner countries of the Democratic Republic of Congo, to consider taking targeted sanctions against political and military leaders who organize botched elections and who violate public freedoms through the repression.
This statement of the dynamics of the citizens’ movements highlights the deterioration of the political and social environment in the DRC, which, according to them, undermines the credibility of future elections. It also highlights the importance of the participation of all stakeholders at every stage of the process, to ensure fair and credible elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo.