Kinshasa, 29 October, 2023 / 9:00 pm (ACI Africa).
Members of the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) and the Church of Christ in Congo (ECC) have urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to publish the voter registers “as soon as possible” ahead of general elections slated for December 20.
In a statement shared with ACI Africa Friday, October 27, CENCO-ECC Election Observation Mission (MOE) acknowledges with appreciation efforts that CENI made to “ensure the inclusiveness of candidates in the forthcoming elections.”
However, the church leaders state, “CENCO-ECC MOE notes that the provisional voter register has still not been published or posted to date, either on the CENI website or in its branches.”
In their statement dated October 24, the church leaders say that they have “not been able to find the persons in charge of posting the list in the places indicated for registering complaints.”
“The final voter register and the mapping of polling stations, which were due to be published thirty days before the electoral campaign, i.e. on 20 October 2023 have not yet been published,” they further lament.