ISS Seminar, Pretoria: Upcoming Election in DRC - Political Dynamics, Security Implications

Date: 2011-11-09

Venue: , ISS Conference Room, Block C, Brooklyn Court, 361 Veale Street, New Muckleneuk,

RSVP:
Sarah Malefo
Tel: 012 346 9500
Fax: 012 460 0997

On November 28, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is set to hold only its second democratic election since independence in 1960. There are 11 candidates for the presidency and nearly 19 000 candidates are in the running for the 500 parliamentary seats. A month ahead, observers are warning of the increasing incidences of violence between supporters of political rivals, amid apparent inefficiencies in the electoral process.

President Joseph Kabila has ambiguously announced that he will step down should he lose the election, but many believe he could be using his incumbency and financial wherewithal to sabotage electoral fair play. Furthermore, the main opposition candidate Etienne Tshisekedi has announced that whatever happens, Kabila will not win, hence raising doubts on whether he is willing to accept a potential defeat.

As the election date approaches in one of Africa’s largest and wealthiest nations in terms of natural resources, the stakes are very high – not only for the peace and security process in the DRC but for stability in the Great Lakes region as a whole.

The seminar’s key speaker, Ms Stephanie Wolters, Founding Director of Okapi, is a recognised expert on Central Africa and the Great Lakes Region. She provides intelligence to think tanks, business, and development organisations to help them make informed decisions when interacting with local populations. She was also Radio Okapi’s first editor-in-chief.

CHAIRPERSON: Dr Paul-Simon Handy, Research Director, Institute for Security Studies

KEY SPEAKER: Ms Stephanie Wolters, Founding Director, Okapi Consulting

ISS Rules:
Participants are free to use the information presented, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participants, may be revealed without his/her express permission.