DRC: justice must happen

PEP Forum Uganda

What is stated in the Freedom House 2018 overview: Civil and opposition politicians cannot influence the governance of the country through elections.

Opinion polls in the DRC are rare and difficult to implement. The few that have come, give different outcomes after the election 30th.dec.2018, but nothing indicates that the regime's candidate was in favor of victory.

In the days after the election, both the Internet and the possibilities of sending text messages were closed in the DRC, according to the authorities to "avoid unrest".

The country with 84 million inhabitants is important for the stability of the region, incl. South Sudan. Therefore, the situation is of course also a theme for world leaders. The DRC regime is under pressure to ensure that the election process is completed with a correct and fair outcome.

France convened a meeting on the DRC in the UN Security Council 6th.jan. 2019, and the African Union /AU, which have made an election observation effort, demand: respect for the result. Opposition candidates promise more democracy, millions of new jobs every year and a better future.

No one should have illusions of quick change for the better by a power shift, but the sitting regime deserves in any case not to continue.

However, the slowness in the count can also have other causes. The DRC Catholic Church, which had a large number of election observers, reports that it has seen numbers that show a clear winner. The church does not give a name, but the statement is intended as a message to the regime not to try cheating.

It's not hard to imagine that one of the opposition candidates, Martin Fayulu or Félix Tshisekedi, has won, but that those in power are trying to find ways to manipulate the result. Joseph Kabila Governement candidate is former Interior Minister Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary