Title: “The controversy around the presence of agents of the Ministry of the Interior in the offices for receiving applications”
Introduction :
The Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) in the Democratic Republic of Congo recently banned agents of the Ministry of the Interior from presenting themselves at the offices for the reception and processing of candidatures (BRTC). This decision sparked controversy over the ministry’s alleged interference in electoral operations. In this article, we will examine the arguments of the two parties involved and we will look at what is at stake in this situation.
The role of the Ministry of the Interior:
According to the Deputy Prime Minister of the Interior, Peter Kazadi, the ministry has every right to regulate the revenue generated by the filing of candidatures during the elections. Under the finance law, the ministry is designated as the taxing body and is responsible for the actual collection of application fees. Therefore, he deployed agents in the BRTCs in order to accomplish this mission. According to Kazadi, this action aims to ensure financial transparency and channel payments to the state coffers.
The position of the CENI:
For its part, the CENI affirms that only agents of the General Directorate of Administrative, Judicial, State and Participation Revenue (DGRAD) are authorized to be present in the BRTCs. They are responsible for delivering the collection note to applicants who wish to pay the application filing fee. According to the CENI, the presence of agents from the Ministry of the Interior would constitute interference in the electoral operations and could compromise their impartiality.
Emotion and confusion:
This controversy reveals some confusion about the roles and responsibilities of the different institutions involved in elections. Deputy Prime Minister Kazadi accuses the CENI of having acted out of emotion and of not being fully informed about the legal provisions regarding the collection of electoral revenue. He also underlines the acceptance of the presence of the DGRAD in the CENI facilities, without this causing controversy.
Conclusion :
The presence of agents of the Ministry of the Interior in the reception offices for applications continues to arouse debate in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is essential that the different parties find common ground in order to guarantee the smooth running of the elections and to preserve the integrity of the electoral process. Ultimately, a clarification of the roles and responsibilities of the different institutions is necessary to avoid future similar controversies.