Kinshasa, DRC – This Wednesday, tens of millions of Congolese residents vote in probably the most anticipated elections of 2023. The high-stakes vote might symbolize the second peaceable civilian-to-civilian transition within the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s historical past since independence from Belgium in June 1960.
There have been mounting considerations about transparency, particularly after the European Union observer mission pulled out and tons of of hundreds of individuals in areas within the unstable east are unable to vote due to spiralling insecurity from armed teams.
Al Jazeera spoke to Denis Kadima, president of the Impartial Nationwide Electoral Fee (CENI) on its readiness for the election, within the capital, Kinshasa.
Excerpts from the interview:
Al Jazeera: How ready are you for the elections on Wednesday?
Denis Kadima: The method goes properly. We have now confronted numerous challenges. The primary got here as a result of we had been appointed very late – 28 months of delay in appointing our group made it very exhausting for us. However we’ve got been capable of do every part that’s required to run an election, beginning with voter registration as much as the place we are actually.
And we’ve got managed to do it in a brief interval as a result of our election calendar may be very restrictive, and we couldn’t waste a single day. In any other case, the method can be at risk. We have now made large progress. We have now deployed in a lot of the nation.
In fact, there are at all times areas which are exhausting to entry. In a number of the provinces, you have got swamps, mountains, rivers, no good roads or bridges, and so forth. In order that’s why, at some stage, I requested the federal government to provide us helicopters so we are able to transfer quicker.
And these have solely began coming now, which is a bit late, however every part that comes our method, we take it. Broadly talking, I can say that regardless of these main challenges, the method is on monitor. However this can be a cyclical problem. 5 years in the past, throughout that election, we had been speaking about the identical points.
Al Jazeera: What do you assume must be achieved going ahead to ensure that CENI is ready successfully to deal with an election like this?
Kadima: To start with, the appointment of the fee is a really prolonged and complex course of that may paralyse the nation. So we have to have a less complicated method of doing it.
In addition to that, we are able to’t be holding elections in the course of the wet season. So they need to push it towards July, when it’s dry season.
Other than that, in the long run, we should have higher infrastructure as a result of every part is completed by airplane; as a result of the nation is large and the roads aren’t good. Along with that, funding has been coming slowly and this has resulted in us being unable to ship the products by sea.
We do nearly every part by air and that comes with an enormous value. We have to draw classes from one course of to the opposite and discover the time to right by studying from what’s occurred earlier than.
However we don’t at all times have every part that we wish. This 12 months, the federal government had fairly some treasury issues. In order that’s why it occurred that method.
Al Jazeera: So with the sources that you’ve got, do you assume which you can pull off a reputable election?
Kadima: For those who give me $100, I’ll run a great election, however in the event you solely give me $50, I’ll nonetheless run an election. We attempt to do as a lot as we are able to to carry high quality elections. One in all our goals is to enhance from one cycle to the subsequent. We will’t show the weaknesses of the previous. In fact, if we’ve got cash earlier, we are able to do higher.
If it comes late, the standard might endure. However finally, we’re a creating nation. We nonetheless must maintain our elections which prices an excessive amount of. Among the issues, if they’re achieved on time, will value much less.
Al Jazeera: Some Congolese have complained concerning the electoral course of to this point.
Kadima: I feel they’re being unfair. There are political teams on this nation that aren’t prepared for elections as a result of they by no means imagine that we’ll pull it off in such a brief interval. Their technique all alongside has been to discredit the method; it doesn’t matter what we do, they’ll by no means acknowledge what we’ve achieved. There are even civil society teams, whose leaders, lots of whom had been candidates for this place I’m in and so they are usually subjective.
The Catholic Church has its personal candidates. The Protestant Church had its personal candidates. However I used to be the fortunate one, and perhaps they simply need to show some extent to indicate that they had been proper once they didn’t need me. Nevertheless it was only a political sport through which I had the higher hand. However I imagine that one of the simplest ways to evaluate us is to check the place we’re coming from: 2011, 2018 and 2023.
All through this course of, you will notice numerous openness. We have now been very inclusive. People who find themselves in exile, unable to submit their candidacy papers, in the present day they’re candidates.
We have now … gone from 35,000 candidates in 2018 to 100,000 candidates this 12 months. That’s how open it’s. We advisable to parliament to make long-term remark of elections a part of the authorized framework as a result of we imagine observers have a task to play within the transparency of the method.
We had been those who instructed individuals that there have been 3.3 million individuals who mustn’t have been on the voters’ listing as a result of they’ve registered greater than as soon as, some are underage, and many others. For the outcomes, we’re going to publish them, polling station by polling station. We’ve tried very exhausting and you may see that the criticism that we get tends to not be at all times real.
In an electoral course of, if you wish to see if the fee is working pretty or not, it’s essential see if the issues occurring in the course of the course of are affecting just some teams and never others. For those who have a look at each drawback we’ve had, it has affected the entire nation equally and after we resolve it, we additionally resolve it equally. And I feel many are appreciative, other than these politicians who’ve determined that they want this course of to be blocked to allow them to have some form of dialogue that can culminate within the formation of a authorities of nationwide unity. I don’t assume this nation must undergo that form of uncertainty.
Al Jazeera: Some politicians requested the Constitutional Courtroom for postponement of the elections and that has been denied. Is that one thing you’ll take into account if, in these few days, every part shouldn’t be in place?
Kadima: We don’t need postponement just because on this nation we should construct a routine of holding elections periodically but additionally on time. There’ll at all times be issues to deal with even when they provide us six extra months as a result of it might be an issue of funding or safety. There’ll at all times be some issues, however we should transfer ahead.
I’m not saying that we should neglect facets of the method simply to satisfy the deadline. We have now achieved the utmost with the sources that we received inside the timeframe that we had, which was brief. [But] the nation has extra to realize by holding to the date than if we needed to postpone.
Lots of those that are saying postpone, if it occurs, they’ll be the primary to face up and say, oh, you shouldn’t have postponed after which they’ll create extra issues. There’ll at all times be some issues, however we’ll deal with them as they unfold.
Al Jazeera: Within the east, 6.5 million persons are displaced and lots of had been unable to register or return residence to vote. What do you say to this?
Kadima: The regulation, the best way it’s designed, you have got broadly two sorts of displaced individuals. The primary group is made up of these individuals who go to their kin. These ones we register as in the event that they had been residents of these locations. However those that are in IDP camps are registered and allotted to the realm they got here from.
Because of this, as a result of they’re imagined to be in these camps briefly, they’re imagined to vote at their properties. However sadly, the state of affairs grew to become even worse and so they discovered themselves operating once more and it’s undecided that they’ve gone again to these camps. They could have gone to another locations. It has simply made it very difficult for us to hint them again. However the backside line is after we recuperate peace, they could have missed the presidential election, however they’ll be capable of take part within the [elections to] Nationwide Meeting, provincial assemblies, and native councils as properly.
That’s the worth to pay, however as a rustic, we’re the sufferer. We will’t be blamed for what occurred to our countrymen and ladies.
Al Jazeera: How do you keep honest to everybody concerned as CENI president?
Kadima: Everybody will at all times blame you for one thing. It’s numerous stress and accountability. With that variety of individuals, 100,000 candidates, solely a pair thousand individuals can be elected.
All these others will hate us as a result of they gained’t make it. Nobody ever accepts defeat. So these are the realities. Nevertheless it’s a part of the tradition that we have to construct alongside the best way. We have to make elections a routine the place individuals perceive that I’ll lose now, [but] in 5 years, if I be taught from my mistake, I’ll win. And the extra we do it, the extra individuals will begin internalising such democratic [principles].
The interview has been barely edited for brevity.
