Congo election plan ?unworkable?

Leading opposition parties in the DRC have declared the country’s plans to hold parliamentary and presidential elections in November “unconstitutional and unrealistic”.

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Kinshasa - The Democratic Republic of Congo's plans to hold parliamentary and presidential elections in November are unconstitutional and unrealistic, the country's leading opposition parties said on Sunday.

The November 28 polls are seen as a vital step towards bringing stability to the vast mineral-rich country struggling with corruption and conflict in its east.

Opposition parties say they are worried about the poll's timetable, which will leave a two-week legal vacuum between the expiration of President Joseph Kabila's mandate on December 6 and the naming of the new president on December 20.

“The political opposition adamantly maintains that the electoral calendar is unconstitutional and unrealistic,” said a statement signed by 26 opposition politicians.

The statement noted voter registration had been completed in only two of 11 provinces and warned the poll could be delayed. The opposition said it was still determined to take part.

The statement also criticised security in the build-up to the vote, repeating accusations that opposition supporters have been intimidated, attacked and killed by the authorities.

Security remains a serious concern for the country, particularly in the east, where armed groups are continuing to battle the army and UN peacekeepers.

The government has denied accusations that opponents are being targeted.

Congo's divided opposition is under pressure to unite or risk a heavy defeat after reforms cut the presidential vote to a single round, a move seen as aiding Kabila, who will now not need an absolute majority to be re-elected.

The three main opposition parties - Jean Pierre Bemba's MLC, Vital Kamerhe's UNC and the UDPS of Etienne Tshisekedi - all signed the declaration.

The head of the electoral commission has said he is confident the polls will be held on time. A United Nations source working on election-planning told Reuters that the calendar, although feasible, was a “marathon of deadlines”.

The elections are the second since the end of a war in Congo which left an estimated five million people dead.

In 2006 Joseph Kabila narrowly beat Jean Pierre Bemba - who is currently standing trial for war crimes in The Hague - in a vote that was largely praised by international observers despite being marred by violent clashes.

Kabila remains favourite to be re-elected despite growing unpopularity over his perceived failure to tackle corruption and instability.

In an incident highlighting the continued insecurity in parts of the country, the government said a convoy of Higher Education Minister Leonard Mashako Mamba was attacked by rebels in North Kivu on Saturday, leaving one policeman dead. - Reuters

Source: http://www.iol.co.za/congo-election-plan-unworkable-1.1065893

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