The Congolese Association for Access to Justice (ACAJ) recently reacted to the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) of the Democratic Republic of Congo to cancel certain legislative, provincial and communal elections due to fraud and illegal possession of electronic voting devices. In a press release published this Saturday, January 6, 2024, the ACAJ welcomed this courageous decision by the CENI and called on the Congolese population to support this fight against corruption.
The ACAJ declared that many candidates from the Sacred Union, the political family of the President of the Republic, were part of the list of canceled elections, describing this situation as a “shame”. The civil society organization congratulated the members of the CENI plenary for their independence in the electoral process and called on the Prosecutor General at the Court of Cassation to order judicial investigations into the incriminated persons.
In addition, the ACAJ recommended that the Task Force of the Sacred Union for the Nation (USN) initiate an internal investigation to politically sanction members involved in electoral irregularities. She also asked those named in the “List of Shame” to resign from their public positions.
According to the decision of the CENI, the votes of 82 candidates for national deputy were canceled due to fraud, intimidation and vandalism of electoral materials. The presidential party is the most affected, with 12 invalidated candidates, followed by other political groups of the Sacred Union.
This decision by the CENI was eagerly awaited in the Congolese socio-political landscape. While some welcome the approach of the electoral body, others are concerned about the consequences on the results of the presidential election, given that most of the invalidated candidates come from President Tshisekedi’s political family.
The main presidential candidates, such as Moïse Katumbi Chapwe, Martin Fayulu Madidi, Denis Mukwege Mukengere, reject the results of the December 20, 2023 polls and demand their cancellation due to the irregularities noted by electoral observation missions.
In this fight against electoral fraud and corruption, the ACAJ calls for citizen action and a fierce continuation of the fight for the democratic rule of law in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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