Title: A request to cancel the elections in the DRC: civil society steps up to the plate
Introduction :
The electoral process in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues to generate criticism and doubts about its transparency and legitimacy. Civil society organizations, grouped within the “Citizen Monitoring” and “Electoral Vigilance” platforms, recently called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) to organize a special consultation framework to assess and rectify the problems encountered during the elections. from December 20. From their perspective, this approach would restore the confidence of stakeholders and guarantee reliable results.
Incidents taint the credibility of the electoral process:
Civil society organizations point out the numerous incidents which marred the elections of December 20. Among these incidents, images circulating on social networks allegedly show acts of fraud and cheating. These manifestations of dishonesty raise questions about the origin of the machines used, the distribution of ballot papers and the possibility of operating at home. Faced with this situation, civil society seriously calls into question the transparency of the vote.
A request to cancel the elections:
Faced with these doubts and suspicions, representatives of civil society are calling for the outright cancellation of the elections. They believe that the best solution would be for the president of the CENI to convene all stakeholders, including presidential candidates and civil society, for a round table aimed at drawing consequences from the irregularities observed, in order to restore confidence and to guarantee reliable results. This approach aims to prune the harmful aspects of the electoral process and to ensure that the voices expressed through the electoral machines are truly taken into account.
Conclusion :
The call from civil society organizations to cancel the elections reflects concerns about the transparency and integrity of the ongoing electoral process in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The incidents and doubts surrounding the December 20 elections have created a climate of distrust that threatens the legitimacy of the results. The call for a special consultation framework represents an attempt to remedy these problems, in order to restore confidence and ensure democratic and fair elections. The final decision of the CENI remains essential for the democratic future of the country.