Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi and his Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) have expressed anger at the Independent Electoral Commission’s (CEI) refusal to reopen voter registration for the benefit of UDPS supporters.
The DRC must go to the polls for legislative and presidential elections by June 30, when the mandate of the transitional administration currently in charge of the country ends. This government was set up in terms of a December 2002 peace agreement that ended five years of war in the eastern DRC between the government and various rebel groups — a conflict motivated in large part by the struggle for control of natural resources.
The UDPS had initially called for a boycott of the 2006 elections, and of the voter-registration exercise conducted last year that it claimed was fraught with irregularities.
About-turn
However, on January 2, Tshisekedi announced that his party would be contesting the polls — this in the face of widespread support for the new Constitution that was put to a referendum last month. (The adoption of the Constitution was a prerequisite for legislative and presidential elections in the DRC.)
This about-turn prompted the call for registration centres to be reopened across the country so that UDPS officials and supporters could get their names on the voters’ roll.
Responding to the appeal, the CEI said time constraints did not allow for national registration to be resumed — but that persons who wished to stand in the elections would be allowed to enter their names on the roll.
”In order to avoid denying Congolese citizens their right to contest the upcoming polls, every candidate who has not registered will be allowed to do so when giving official notice of their candidacy,” CEI head Apollinaire Malu Malu told reporters.
Last year’s exercise, in which about 24-million voters were registered, was beset by logistical difficulties. The DRC — roughly the size of Western Europe — has little in the way of roads or railways: a legacy of former president Mobutu Sese Seko, who allowed the then Zaire to become a by-word for corruption, to the detriment of investments in national infrastructure.
It was quickly noted that an extended registration for candidates opened the way for Tshisekedi to stand in the elections.
Cool reception
However, the CEI’s statements were received with little warmth by the UDPS, which accused the commission of trying to exclude it from the electoral process in favour of the People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy, led by President Joseph Kabila.
A good percentage of the public appears to have come out in support of the CEI in this matter, accusing the UDPS of behaving like a spoilt child.
”No one has denied the UDPS its right to sit in government, so it doesn’t have the right to cry exclusion,” said rights activist Mayunga Mpuila.
Others are calling on the CEI to be more flexible, and reopen registration in certain cities.
”It’s true that the UDPS did not behave responsibly in the electoral process. But, the country needs everyone [to participate in it] to ensure a peaceful end to the transition,” said Julien Lubunga, a journalist.
Political parties and activists are also divided over the merits of resuming registration.
Campaigners who called for a ”no”-vote during the constitutional referendum believe the commission must open registration centres again, in the spirit of inclusion.
”It’s only fair. The CEI must convince us of its credibility,” said a member of this group, Reverend Théodore Ngoy.
The Democratic Federalist Christians (DCF), in its turn, believes tampering with registration would discriminate in favour of the UDPS — and set a dangerous precedent. In a televised debate with UDPS delegates, the DCF’s Christian Moto noted that ”the UDPS must have the courage to deal with all the consequences of its behaviour”.
Municipal and legislative elections are scheduled to take place in March and April, with the presidential poll set for April and May. The new president is expected to be sworn in on June 15.
Tshisekedi (73) held several positions under Mobutu, who ruled the country for most of its post-independence history. However, he became increasingly critical of the now-deceased president.
The UDPS leader was appointed prime minister three times during Mobutu’s final years in office when international pressure for democracy in Zaire began to grow, but remained in the post just briefly in each instance before being dismissed by Mobutu.
He continued his criticism of Congolese leadership after Mobutu was toppled by rebels in 1997 during a war that brought Laurent Kabila to power. Kabila was assassinated in 2001 and succeeded by his son, Joseph.
In July last year, UDPS supporters held protests against the transitional administration, which was initially supposed to step down in favour of a democratically elected government by June 30 2005.
Although the DRC is officially at peace, eastern parts of the country remain volatile. The world’s largest peacekeeping operation, the United Nations mission in the DRC (Monuc) has been deployed to help disarm former rebels in the country.
But even though Monuc numbers about 17 000 troops, it faces a considerable challenge in dealing with militias who know there are rich pickings for those who can maintain control over the considerable mineral deposits in the eastern DRC. — IPS