Duplicate voter card – procedure and conditions of issue
The Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) recently launched an operation to gradually issue duplicate voter cards in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This operation aims to allow voters who have lost their card or whose writings are erased to be able to obtain a duplicate.
According to Jean-Baptiste Itipo, communication director of the CENI, this operation is free and concerns voters in these particular situations. However, it is important to follow a specific procedure in order to benefit from this service.
For voters who have lost their voter’s card, it is necessary to have this loss certified by a judicial police officer, who will issue a report of loss of the voter’s card. Then, the applicant must go to the CENI branch of the original registration center, with this report. On site, he will have to complete a duplicate request form, and if the head of the antenna or his delegate confirms that he was registered, he will be able to obtain his duplicate.
As for voters whose writings on the card are erased or illegible, they must go to the CENI branch of the registration center, with their defective card, in order to receive a replacement card.
It is also important to mention that the CENI invites public and private services, as well as anyone in possession of lost voter cards, to return them to the CENI headquarters.
It should be recalled that the issuance of duplicate voter cards aims to guarantee the right to vote of Congolese citizens, allowing them to participate fully and freely in the various elections.
It is therefore essential that voters find out about the procedure to follow and the documents required to obtain their duplicate voter card, in order to be able to exercise their right to vote in an informed and democratic manner.
In conclusion, the CENI is setting up a procedure for issuing duplicate voter cards for people who have lost their cards or whose writings have been erased