The challenges of Moïse Katumbi’s candidacy are being felt as his candidacy for the presidential election in the DRC was rejected by the CENI. Katumbi’s team showed up with photocopies of the necessary documents, but the electoral commission required the originals for authentication. Unfortunately, two essential documents were missing: the criminal record extract and the nationality certificate.
Faced with this situation, the Katumbi camp promised to return the next day with the complete file, affirming that this request for original documents was only an administrative formality without major legal consequences.
This procedure, in accordance with current electoral legislation, is applied equally to all candidacies. However, some close to Katumbi raised a controversy around this rejection by insinuating a deliberate desire by the electoral commission to harm the candidacy of their candidate.
Regardless, this situation highlights the challenges candidates face when embarking on an electoral campaign. Administrative rigor and compliance with legal requirements are essential for applications to be validated.
In an already tense political climate, the outcome of this affair remains uncertain. But it underlines the crucial importance of respecting electoral rules and transparency in the democratic process. The elections in the DRC are a key moment for the nation, and it is essential that all candidates have the opportunity to participate fairly and in accordance with the law.
It remains to be seen how this affair will unfold in the coming days and whether Moïse Katumbi will finally be able to submit his candidacy within the allotted time frame. In any case, it highlights the challenges and issues of the electoral process in the DRC, and attracts the attention of the population as well as national and international observers.