Title: Elections in the DRC: civil society organizes to counter fraud
Introduction :
In a few days, general elections will take place in the Democratic Republic of Congo. However, the opposition and civil society express concern about the risk of electoral fraud. To face this threat, several citizen movements have mobilized and launched their own observation mission using mobile phones. In particular, the movement called “Kapita” (sentinel in Linguala and Swahili) counts on the participation of 1,300 volunteers to ensure a parallel count of the electoral results. At the same time, the confederation of Catholic churches, Cenco, plans to deploy 11,000 citizen observers in order to avoid challenges to the results, as happened in previous elections.
Carrying out a parallel count to ensure compliance with the electoral process:
The organizers of the “Kapita” movement managed to mobilize 1,300 citizens through the civil society network. Their main role will be to take photos of the reports and results displayed outside the polling stations, then centralize them in a dedicated application. The objective is to set up a count parallel to the official results of the Independent National Electoral Commission (Céni). Mino Bopomi, national coordinator of the Filimbi movement, explains that this initiative will allow us to have a more precise idea of popular expression through the ballot box, well before the provisional results of the Ceni are made public. Thus, in the event of a dispute, civil society will have tangible evidence to defend its position.
Towards increased involvement of civil society in the electoral process:
In addition to the “Kapita” movement, Cenco also plans to deploy 11,000 citizen observers, in addition to the 25,000 traditional observers. These citizen observers will not need official accreditation and their mission will be to take photos of the minutes and transmit them to the official observers. Monsignor Donatien Nshole, secretary general of Cenco, underlines the importance of this approach aimed at avoiding disputes about the results. Indeed, during previous elections, the opposition and civil society failed to provide sufficient evidence to support their demands, which created a political and social crisis.
Conclusion :
Faced with fears of electoral fraud, civil society in the Democratic Republic of Congo is mobilizing to guarantee the integrity of the electoral process. Initiatives such as the “Kapita” movement and the deployment of citizen observers by Cenco make it possible to establish a parallel count of electoral results, thus providing tangible evidence in the event of dispute. These actions aim to strengthen citizens’ confidence in the democratic system and ensure the transparency of upcoming elections. The increased participation of civil society in the electoral process is a positive sign for democracy in the DRC and we hope it will contribute to free and fair elections.