2023-12-20 05:09:10
At the same time as the presidential elections, the 500 members of the National Assembly and representatives of the 26 provincial parliaments will also be elected in the country with around 96 million inhabitants. After years of dictatorship and civil war, only three national elections have been held (2006, 2011 and 2018).
Over 900 parties are up for election in a country in which, on the one hand, two thirds of the population live below the poverty line and, on the other hand, is home to some of the regions with the most natural resources in the world. Many of these minerals are needed for cell phones and electric cars.
In particular, the export of mineral resources such as copper, cobalt, coltan and gold are of great importance for the country’s economy. In addition to the immense reserves of raw materials, the DR Congo is also home to the second largest contiguous area of rainforest in the world, which is increasingly falling victim to global deforestation.
Agreement with predecessor in office
During the election, the focus is primarily on the duel for the presidency. The current president, Tshisekedi, is standing for re-election there following he was narrowly declared the winner by the electoral commission in 2018 following an extremely controversial decision.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference, which is usually more present in the country’s civil society than the central government, came to a completely different result – in contrast to the official one – which saw competitor Martin Fayulu as the clear winner with over 60 percent and Tshisekedi with only 19 percent .
APAZ/AFP/John Wessels Incumbent Felix Tshisekedi was narrowly declared president in a controversial decision in 2018
Many observers believed that Tshisekedi’s appointment was the result of collusion between him and his predecessor Joseph Kabila. Because of this, the electoral commission CENI (French: Commission electorale Nationale Independante) will be under close observation during Wednesday’s election; the elections are seen as a critical test for democracy.
Expert sees duel
In addition to Tshisekedi, the then officially defeated candidate, Fayulu, as well as dozens of other candidates, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege, are also running in Wednesday’s election. According to Martin Doevenspeck, Professor of Political Geography at the Geographical Institute at the University of Bayreuth, only Moise Katumbi, an entrepreneur and former governor of the rich Katanga province in the south of the DR Congo, has promising maps.
Archyde.com/Arlette Bashizi Moise Katumbi is, according to many observers, Tshisekedi’s most likely challenger
Speaking to ORF.at, the expert sees a duel between the current President Tshisekedi and Katumbi. This is also “a confrontation between two provinces and two ethnic groups”. On the one hand Katanga, where the challenger comes from, and on the other side the province of Kasai, where the current president comes from. Due to his current position and position of power, Tshisekedi is favored by many. Since a constitutional change in 2011, a simple majority has been sufficient for victory.
Weak economic growth
From an economic point of view, the country has been in extremely bad shape recently. On the Human Development Index (HDI), the DR Congo ranks 179th out of 191. Doevenspeck sees several factors responsible here. On the one hand, the devaluation of the Congolese franc once morest the dollar has serious consequences for the population in Congo.
The Congolese receive their salaries in the local currency, but have to make their expenses in dollars. And on the other hand, the DR Congo suffered last year from weak growth in the mining sector, which is so important for the DR Congo.
Election campaign without programs
Despite the poor economic situation, there is little talk regarding election programs during the election campaign. Rather, the two main candidates would only insult each other. “There is no political project to talk regarding,” says the expert. President Tshisekedi would accuse Katumbi of being a candidate from abroad – especially from its eastern neighbor Rwanda. And Katumbi himself accuses the president of having nothing to show following his term in office.
APA/AFP/John Wessels There are more and more candidates’ election posters in the larger cities
But hatred among the population also increased significantly. The EU expressed concern regarding the situation in the DR Congo on Tuesday. The “hate speech, violence and incidents in the final days of the election campaign” were worrying, it said. According to the UN, serious human rights violations have also been recorded and must be investigated and prosecuted.
Last month, the EU also canceled the planned deployment of election observers for “technical” reasons. According to reports, the Congolese authorities had banned observers from using satellite equipment because they allegedly feared that the technology would be used to manipulate the presidential election.
Focal point in the east
The situation is particularly worrying in the east of the country. The densely populated province of North Kivu has been the focus of a conflict for around three decades that seems to have almost been forgotten. The resurgence there of the Tutsi rebel movement M23, which is supposed to be supported by neighboring Rwanda, as well as the constant expansion of the area under its control make holding elections practically impossible in many places. De facto there is martial law there.
In the towns of Rutshuru and Masisi, north of the provincial capital Goma, 1.5 million people will not be able to vote in Wednesday’s elections because the M23 controls them and therefore cannot take place there. But many people in the rest of the country are also categorically excluded from the elections, as Doevenspeck says. “Voter ID cards, some of which also function as ID cards, are fading and many are no longer readable at all.” And many would then no longer be issued new ID cards, according to the expert.
Depending on the election results, it might be weeks or months before the DR Congo has a new president. But despite all the crises and violence, the expert also sees hope for a better future for the country and points to a strong civil society. This would organize itself well, demand changes and stand up for them.
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