“The issue of women’s representation in politics in the Democratic Republic of Congo is a major challenge that deserves special attention. Within the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), recent developments in the electoral process have highlighted the importance of promoting gender parity and the inclusion of women in the political sphere.
Denis Kadima Kazadi, President of the CENI, highlighted during the mid-term evaluation of the electoral process for the period 2021-2024, the importance of the issue of gender and inclusion. In particular, the proposal to exempt the deposit for lists with more than 50% female candidates. This measure aims to encourage greater participation of women in the Congolese political landscape and to strengthen the representation of women within institutions.
However, despite the efforts made to promote women’s candidacy in elections, the results remain mixed. The low rate of female candidates in the last presidential and legislative elections highlights the need to strengthen incentive measures to ensure real gender parity in the country’s political bodies.
The electoral observation mission of the Synergy of Citizen Election Observation Missions in the DRC (SYMOCEL) revealed in its preliminary report that the low rate of female candidates suggests a low representation of women in the country’s future decision-making bodies. This situation calls for in-depth reflection on the mechanisms to be put in place to ensure equitable representation of women in politics.
The provisions of Article 13 of the electoral law, such as the exemption from the deposit for lists comprising more than 50% women, constitute an important step forward in promoting gender parity in the DRC. However, it is essential to go beyond these incentive measures and adopt binding mechanisms to ensure equitable participation of women in the country’s political life.
In conclusion, the issue of women’s representation in politics in the Democratic Republic of Congo remains a major challenge to be addressed. It is imperative to increase efforts to promote real gender parity and to ensure effective inclusion of women in the country’s political bodies. Only coordinated and proactive action will transform the Congolese political landscape and ensure equitable representation of the population in decision-making.”