The general elections that took place in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) last December were marked by numerous irregularities and alleged violations of legal rules. Faced with these anomalies, the Catholic Episcopal Conference (CENCO) and the Protestant churches have requested the opening of an independent investigation in order to shed light on these events.
The outgoing president, Felix Tshisekedi, won the presidential election with more than 73% of the votes according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI). However, these results caused considerable controversy.
In a joint statement, CENCO-ECC said the results of the presidential and legislative elections would only be acceptable if an investigation was carried out. These groups monitored the elections using thousands of independent observers.
Hour-long delays, voting machine malfunctions and other problems led to an unplanned extension of voting beyond December 20, which local observers and civil society organizations called illegal. In some parts of the country, voting even took place five days after election day.
These logistical problems led to the late opening, or even absence, of many polling stations. Some offices lacked materials and many voter cards were illegible due to blurred ink. Many opposition candidates claim the election was fraudulent and have rejected the provisional results.
Two formal appeals against the provisional results of the presidential election have been filed with the Congolese Constitutional Court, which must examine them before January 12, the deadline for the announcement of the final results.
Turnout in the election was more than 40%, with around 18 million people voting, according to election chief Denis Kadima.
These irregularities have caused serious tensions in the DRC and call into question the legitimacy of the election results. An independent investigation is therefore necessary to restore the confidence of the Congolese people in the electoral process.
It is essential that measures are taken to guarantee free and transparent elections in the DRC in order to respect the will of the Congolese people and to promote the political stability and development of the country. The whole world must support these efforts and ensure that the voice of the Congolese people is heard and respected.