Violation of Electoral Law in DR Congo, Opposition Leader

44 million Congolese were registered to vote on December 20. Dec. 21, 2023.

Published 21 December 2023

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On December 20, 31% of polling stations did not open and in 41.5% of those that did, the voting machines malfunctioned, interrupting voting.

Some candidates called for a fresh vote this Thursday in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as the country entered a second day of voting.

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Opposition leader Martin Fayulu criticized the organization of the December 20 general elections by the electoral commission, CENI.

The ECIDE party leader said in statements to the press that "election materials did not arrive on time in all polling stations, including polling booths in Kinshasa. The electoral law is clear: elections must be held on a public holiday or a Sunday, and that the vote should take place during one day."

According to Fayulu "not all Congolese who hold voter cards voted." In this regard, he said, "What can be done is to extend the closing times or bring forward the opening time. The president of the electoral commission, mister Kadima, asked for voting to be extended today. However, this violates the electoral law and even doing so, many offices still do not have machines as of today in Kinshasa. What should be done in such instances? We're asking for everyone to be able to vote, all Congolese, and to date it is not possible."

Yesterday, Presidential candidate Martin Fayulu @MartinFayulu expressed his frustration with the voting process in #DRCongo, stating that those responsible for creating chaos will also experience the consequences of their actions.

Fayulu, a leading opposition candidate, warned… pic.twitter.com/SbI8kQjyRY
— Gideon Kitheka Snr (@Gideon_Kitheka) December 21, 2023

In 2018, results proclaimed by the Ceni were contested, notably by Fayulu. The president of the electoral commission has now turned against Felix Tshisekeddi which he proclaimed winner, claiming there was a conspirary in 2018 and that he approved results which didn't reflect the reality of the vote. Incumbent president Tshisekedi has refuted the accusations.

For his part, Fayulu said that, although the results that are becoming known put him in the lead, what we want is that "the law is respected and that the truth of the polls comes out. If someone else wins and can prove to us that they actually won without any impediment, we will accept it. We are not in the business of contesting for the sake of contesting. We are in the logic of defending the electoral law, defending the Constitution and defending the rights of all citizens. This is the logic that guides our actions."

44 million Congolese were registered to vote on December 20, when, according to the observer mission set up by the main Christian churches in the DRC, 31% of polling stations did not open and in 41.5% of those that did, the voting machines malfunctioned, disrupting the voting.