News: Kinshasa press review of Wednesday August 30, 2023
The Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) of the Democratic Republic of Congo has summoned the electorate for the presidential election which must take place on December 20, 2023. The newspapers in Kinshasa are focusing on this announcement and the conditions for being a candidate.
La Prospérité underlines that the CENI is expecting presidential candidates from September 1, 2023. The countdown has started according to this daily which recalls that the CENI has published a new press release confirming the date of the launch of the call for applications. In this same press release, the CENI also recalls the progress of the electoral operations planned in its calendar established in November 2022. Despite the criticisms and concerns, the CENI displays its determination to organize the elections within the constitutional deadlines, which places political actors in a delicate position.
L’Avenir reports that the Application Reception and Processing Office (BRTC) will be open from September 9 to October 8, 2023 for the presidential election. The CENI also recalls that the electoral constituency for this election is the national territory, in accordance with the electoral law. Among the criteria to be met to be a presidential candidate, one must have original Congolese nationality, be at least 30 years old, enjoy civil and political rights, have a higher education diploma or experience professional of at least 5 years in the political, administrative or socio-economic field, and be a voter or be able to identify themselves and enroll when submitting their candidacy.
However, Congo Nouveau expresses doubts about the holding of presidential elections within the constitutional deadlines. The weekly recalls the declarations of the president of the CENI, Denis Kadima, who mentioned the financial and security constraints that could hinder his team’s determination to organize the elections on time. Faced with these doubts, some political voices are raising the possibility of dialogue to guarantee peaceful elections, while others are calling for an audit of the electoral register.
Le Potentiel confirms this thesis by citing the appeal of the secretary and spokesperson of the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) to postpone the elections. According to this Catholic prelate, elections that are not peaceful, credible and transparent would jeopardize the country. He proposes an improvement in the electoral process to strengthen the perception of the CENI and suggests a slight delay to allow for these improvements.
In conclusion, the convocation of the electorate for the presidential election in the DRC has raised reactions and questions about the holding of elections within the constitutional deadlines.. Despite the financial and security challenges, the CENI confirms its determination to organize these elections, while some voices call for improvements to the electoral process to guarantee credible and transparent elections