Presidential election in the DRC: The provisional list of candidates revealed by the CENI
During the night of Thursday to Friday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) published the provisional list of candidates selected for the presidential election which will take place next December. A historic decision since all the applications were deemed admissible and the 24 applicants are therefore provisionally selected. Among them are well-known political figures, such as Moïse Katumbi Chapwe, Felix Tshisekedi, and Martin Fayulu.
The CENI thus confirmed that no candidacy was declared inadmissible, opening the way to a diverse electoral competition potentially rich in debates. However, caution should be exercised as the provisional list still needs to be examined by the Constitutional Court in the coming days. The latter will have the task of confirming or rejecting certain applications, which could modify the final composition of applicants.
According to article 110 of the electoral law in force, the CENI will publish the final list of candidates on November 18, the day before the start of the electoral campaign. To facilitate the preparation of this campaign, the numbers assigned to each candidate on the provisional list will be considered final.
This announcement therefore marks an important step in the electoral process in the DRC. All eyes are now on the Constitutional Court, whose decisions will have a major impact on the political landscape of the country. The next few weeks will therefore be crucial for the candidates and for the entire Congolese population who are impatiently awaiting the holding of this historic presidential election.
Sources:
– Média Congo, “Presidential election in the DRC: all 24 candidates provisionally selected”, accessed October 20, 2023, http://www.mediacongo.net/dpics/filesmanager/actualite/2023_actu1/10-october/16-22/ presidentielle_en_rdc_tous_les_24_candidats_provisoirement_retenus.jpg
– Fatshimetrie.org, “Presidential election in the DRC: the provisional list of candidates unveiled by the CENI”, accessed October 20, 2023, article link: https://fatshimetrie.org/blog/2023/10/20/election-presidentielle -in-DRC-the-provisional-list-of-candidates-unveiled-by-the-ceni/