Moïse Katumbi’s candidacy for the presidential election in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) experienced a setback on Tuesday during its presentation to the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI). Indeed, the Katumbi team presented itself with photocopies of the required documents, while the CENI required the originals to proceed with their authentication.
According to those close to the former governor of Katanga, two essential documents from the file, namely the extract from the criminal record and the certificate of nationality, were missing from the photocopies provided. The CENI therefore refused to accept the file under these conditions.
Faced with this situation, the Katumbi camp promised to return the next day with the complete file, including the originals of the missing documents. Hervé Diakese, one of the members of Katumbi’s team, was keen to emphasize that this was just a simple administrative formality and that it would have no legal consequences on Moïse Katumbi’s candidacy.
It is important to emphasize that this procedure complies with current electoral legislation and applies in the same way to all candidacies. The CENI has the duty to verify the authenticity of the documents presented in order to ensure the transparency and legitimacy of the electoral process.
It is therefore appropriate to wait for further events and to see if Moïse Katumbi’s application will be accepted once the original documents are presented to the CENI. In any case, this situation highlights the importance of respecting administrative procedures and providing the required documents in their original format to avoid any delay or inconvenience when running for a presidential election.
In conclusion, Moïse Katumbi’s candidacy file for the presidential election in the DRC encounters administrative obstacles linked to the presentation of photocopies instead of the original documents requested by the CENI. Camp Katumbi undertook to rectify this situation by providing the missing originals the next day. It remains to be seen whether this approach will allow Moïse Katumbi’s candidacy to continue in the electoral process. The wait continues for supporters and observers of the Congolese political scene.
Note: The information presented in this article is based on that published by Siméon Isako on Fatshimétie, October 15, 2023.