What are the prospects for credible elections in DRC?
Political and technical constraints make free and fair elections on 23 December unlikely.
Just four months before elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), neither the Independent National Electoral Commission nor the Congolese government have convinced the electorate that the polls will be free and fair. This raises the spectre of more instability.
Technical issues relating to the voter’s roll and electronic voting machines remain. The political environment is strained by the ban on public marches, and the bar on key political opponents like Moïse Katumbi and Jean-Pierre Bemba running for president. What are the prospects for credible elections, and which continental and regional actors have the leverage to make a difference?
Chair: Dr Roba Sharamo, Office Director, ISS Addis Ababa
Speaker: Stephanie Wolters, Head, Peace and Security Research programme, ISS
