DR Congo electoral commission slams church report

The controversy surrounding DR Congo’s December elections has intensified following the release of a critical report by the country’s Catholic and Protestant churches.

The report highlighted numerous “irregularities” in the electoral process, suggesting that these issues could compromise the integrity of the results that saw President Felix Tshisekedi re-elected with over 73 percent of the vote.

These irregularities included alleged nepotism and the placement of politicians’ family members into key positions, further fueling allegations of electoral misconduct.

CENI, the electoral commission, has strongly rebutted these claims, with Vice President Didi Manara Linga arguing that the report unfairly portrays the electoral process as entirely dysfunctional.

Manara Linga emphasized that the report failed to compare the current election with previous ones, and asserted that CENI had taken significant measures against electoral fraud, sanctioning over 80 individuals regardless of their political status.

Furthermore, the commission annulled the votes of 82 candidates, including high-profile figures such as three government ministers and four provincial governors.

The logistical challenges faced during the election, including extended polling periods due to delays, compounded the difficulties.

Despite these hurdles, over 40 million voters out of DR Congo’s 100 million population were registered to participate in the elections, which also included voting for national, regional, and municipal representatives.

Scroll to Top