The President of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), Denis Kadima, recently addressed the issue of the candidacies of people with links to members of the electoral body. During a consultation with the representatives of political parties and independent candidates, Mr. Kadima announced the establishment of specific procedures to resolve this problem.
Denis Kadima stressed that the CENI was concerned by the criticism that had been circulating in recent weeks regarding the acceptance of candidacies from families or members of the Plenary Assembly of the electoral commission. To avoid any conflict of interest during the final deliberations, he assured that ad hoc procedures would be put in place, based on the principles of good governance.
However, he also stressed that respect for the constitutional right of members close to CENI members to stand as candidates should not be violated. The law explicitly prohibits CENI staff members from running as candidates, and those who violate this rule will be identified and disqualified.
This declaration comes after voices were raised to denounce the alignment of certain candidates with the members of the CENI office, on the eve of the closing of the deposit of candidatures for the national legislative elections.
It remains to be seen how these new procedures will be applied and whether they will guarantee the integrity and transparency of the electoral process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo