The Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) political landscape faces increasing turmoil as the powerful Catholic bishops conference, CENCO, and the Protestant church alliance, ECC, joined forces on Thursday to demand an independent inquiry into alleged irregularities and legal violations during the December 20th general elections.
This move comes in stark contrast to the December 25th declaration by the CENI election commission, which awarded President Felix Tshisekedi a landslide victory with over 73% of the vote.
However, a significant portion of opposition candidates vehemently reject the provisional results, claiming widespread fraud and demanding a thorough investigation.
Their accusations point to various issues that marred the electoral process, including hours-long voting delays, malfunctioning voting machines, and an unscheduled extension of voting beyond the initial December 20th deadline.
Independent observers further corroborated these claims, raising concerns about the election’s credibility.
In a joint statement, CENCO-ECC highlighted the critical role of their thousands of independent observers who documented widespread irregularities both on and after election day.
They underscored the urgent need for CENI’s cooperation in establishing an “independent and joint commission of inquiry” to ensure transparency and a credible resolution.
Furthermore, the statement explicitly declared that accepting the current provisional results, encompassing both the presidential and legislative elections, hinges on the successful implementation of such an inquiry.
Despite facing criticism, both CENI and the government maintain the stance that the elections were conducted fairly and freely, despite acknowledging the unscheduled voting extension and other concerns.
