The Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) and the Superior Council of the Judiciary (CSM) have recently harmonized their approach for a more serene management of electoral disputes in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
During a meeting organized by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) in Kinshasa, legal experts from the CENI and senior magistrates worked together for three days to draw lessons from previous elections and determine how best to manage electoral disputes.
The meeting allowed the various actors to agree on the need to respect the deadlines to allow the CENI to respect its electoral calendar. The participants also agreed not to organize a double degree of jurisdictions with regard to the disputes of the candidatures.
It was pointed out that disputes relating to candidacies have been the most difficult in previous elections. The Constitutional Court had organized a double level of jurisdiction in disputes over candidacies, which had raised problems.
The past elections had been strongly criticized by political actors because of the poor management of electoral disputes by the Constitutional Court. For the upcoming elections, scheduled for December 20, the CENI is the “election organizing power” and has set an electoral calendar that the various actors have undertaken to respect.
This initiative aims to ease tensions and promote a more harmonious management of electoral disputes in the DRC. Political actors were urged to exercise wisdom and vigilance to avoid any distraction or disruption of the ongoing electoral process