Tensions and fraud Mount Ahead of DRC Elections

Tensions are running high as the Democratic Republic of Congo prepares to hold parliamentary and presidential elections on December 20. Concerns over transparency and recurrent violence have observers worried about the vote and its aftermath.

The Democratic Republic of Congo prepares to hold parliamentary and presidential elections on 20 December. Voters will also be electing members of the national parliament and of regional assemblies in DRC’s 26 provinces, as well as local councillors.

The campaign in the central African nation of about 100 million people officially kicked off on 19 November, just a month before the polls.

Opposition parties and civil society groups have been say that the country isn’t ready, but the president in power, Felix Tshisekedi, wants the election to go ahead. President Félix Tshisekedi is standing for a second term in the midst of armed conflict in the east of the country. The opposition is fragmented and suspicious that the electoral commission will favour the ruling party. Félix Tshisekedi suffers from some weaknesses, but nevertheless is in a strong position to be re-elected. His record in office is hardly gleaming, as security has deteriorated in several areas and the country’s mineral boom has failed to improve the lives of the average citizens.

Félix Tshisekedi, 60, became president five years ago after a controversial election that another opponent, Martin Fayulu, claims he won. Martin Fayulu, 67 years old, is the leader of the Ecidé party (Commitment to Citizenship and Development). This former executive of an oil major wants his revenge. For five years, his supporters have referred to him as “the president-elect”, since according to them the victory was stolen from him in the 2018 election. Once again affirming his conviction that the dice will be loaded for that of next December, he for a time maintained the suspense over his candidacy, which he finally confirmed on September 30.

He is the leader of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), which was also the party of his father, the historic opponent Etienne Tshisekedi, who died in 2017.

Upon coming to power, Félix, known as “Fatshi”, improved his image abroad, breaking with the isolationism of his predecessor Joseph Kabila. He also promised to improve the lives of the Congolese, to fight corruption and to do everything to bring peace to the east of the country. He did not achieve his objectives, recognizing that much remains to be done, but he is the favourite against an opposition which, barring any twists and turns, presents itself divided in the single-round election.

Tshisekedi’s rivals say he has failed to stem the plunder of DRC’s abundant mineral resources and to bring peace to the country’s war-torn east. However, the M23 has questioned the international community’s silence on alleged acts of ethnic cleansing by the Kinshasa government against its population.

After the disputed elections in 2018 and the ensuing violence, these polls will be crucial for consolidating democratic progress in the DRC. The lack of consensus over management of the electoral process increases the risk of contested elections and related violence, which could undermine the country’s stability.

Now the European Union has said that its team of election observers cannot observe the polls because of security concerns and cancelled its election monitoring mission for the elections.

Six opposition candidates in the country’s presidential elections warned of possible fraud and irregularities during the elections. The candidates, who include Nobel Peace Prize-winning gynaecologist Denis Mukwege and prominent opposition contender Martin Fayulu, are citing deliberate anomalies by the commission, casting doubt on the validity of the electoral roll. Denis Mukwege , 68, gynecologist, Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2018 for his work with raped women, is a long-time critic of power and continues to demand justice for the victims of armed violence in his country.

“The man who repairs women”, a nickname inherited from a documentary dedicated to him, has no political basis and was slow to launch. He finally announced on October 2 that he would be a candidate, denouncing “the corrupt and predatory practices” which keep the majority of Congolese in poverty. Son of a Pentecostal pastor, he is originally from South Kivu (east), where he runs a hospital.

The opposition hopes to capitalise on Tshisekedi’s poor record, especially on security. But it is fragmented and faces considerable obstacles, not least of which is how to campaign in this vast country with extremely poor infrastructure. There are few signs that, for the presidential elections, opposition leaders will agree to limit the number of presidential candidates and thereby reduce the risk of seeing their vote fracturing.

Insecurity is one of the main challenges for both the campaign and the polls.

The new electoral cycle was beginning in “perilous conditions”.

The ongoing fighting in the east of the country and accusations by the opposition that the National Independent Electoral Commission (Ceni), is biased in favour of Tshisekedi’s ruling party.

Tshisekedi has taken steps to consolidate his authority and to diminish the influence of his predecessor, Joseph Kabila.Tshisekedi has inherited a system of violent kleptocracy and risks repeating his predecessors’ errors. Thus, he may be taking a more repressive turn.

The country has been a dangerous path since the last election. Some demonstrations have been recently forbidden, politicians have been arrested, so of course some political actors are afraid.

Recently an opposition party official was killed in eastern DRC during clashes between rival political groups.

The clashes erupted when presidential challenger Moïse Katumbi’s motorcade was making its way through Kindu, the regional capital of the eastern Maniema province.

Moïse Katumbi, 58, is a wealthy businessman, boss of the renowned Lubumbashi (south-east) football club Tout Puissant Mazembe and former governor (2007-2015) of the mining province of Katanga, the economic heart of the country, where he was born. His father was Italian, which made him a prime target for the heralds of “Congolity” , whose leader also tried to have his candidacy invalidated.

Leader of the “Together for the Republic” party, he highlights his business successes and his record in Katanga, with construction of roads, schools and development of agriculture, to assert that he will know how to manage the country.

Katumbi supporters clashed with backers of the ruling Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), the party of the president.

The unrest killed Dido Kasingi, a lawyer who was the president of the youth chapter of Katumbi’s party, Together for the Republic, a party spokesperson told reporters in Kinshasa.

The spokesperson, Herve Diakiese, accused the governor of Maniema of instigating the unrest.

The assailants set on the motorcade from inside the residence of governor Idrissa Mangala.

Former minister Chérubin Okende, a member of the opposition in parliament, was found dead in his car, his murder raising fears for the possibility of democratic elections in December.

The DRC is in the grip of a conflict with armed rebel groups in its resource-rich east, where UN peacekeepers and East African Community troops are deployed.

President Tshisekedi has ordered both international and regional forces to leave the country in December, saying they had failed to end the fighting. Rich in minerals and forestry and the second largest country in Africa after Algeria, DRC remains impoverished because of illegal mining, corruption, bad governance, lack of infrastructure and investment.

On November 20, 2023, Moise Katumbi officially launched his campaign to run in the DR Congo presidential election in 2024.

Katumbi, a businessman, is the former governor of Katanga province (2007 to 2015) and a leading opposition figure. He was a member of the People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy until 2015. 

Despite the huge investment in the polls, estimated to be around 600 million US dollars, the DRC is still faced with logistical and security challenges in the Eastern part of the country where about 120 rebel groups operate including M23, that could dodge the polls.

Ihe North Kivu region has been hardest hit with close to one million people fleeing the conflict since M23s resurgence.

Probably, M23 has cast doubt on the upcoming elections. M23 President Bertrand Bisimwa is quoted as saying that organising an election while ignoring areas under the M23’s command is senseless. Bisimwa said also that the election served no purpose.

Tshisekedi has accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 insurgency in DR Congo, an accusation that Rwandan President Paul Kagame denies.

Еhe M23 leader Bertrand Bisimwa criticized the upcoming election, saying it serves no purpose. The M23 leadership accuses the DRC government of violating the February 2023 peace deal, which proposed a ceasefire from both parties.

In many areas, electoral officials appear to have blocked people from registration on spurious grounds or extorted money from them in return for registration.The government should limit abuses by the security forces, the electoral commission should better guarantee transparency and all parties should denounce inflammatory rhetoric. International partners should help the parties find political compromises and prepare for mediation if the results are contested.