DR Congo electoral register stirs debate

A few months before a much anticipated election in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the electoral register has been deemed reliable by the International Organisation of la Francophonie (OIF) experts after an audit.

The organisation that unites French-speaking countries believes that the electoral commission has made enormous efforts to achieve an inclusive register with a national coverage rate of over 90%.

All potential voters, i.e. a little over 40 million, were effectively registered throughout the Congolese territory. However, the report shows some shortcomings, such as the infiltration of certain identity documents that allowed at least 6 million voters to be registered.

In fact 16.6% of voters were enrolled without fingerprints sometimes without identity cards. The members of the opposition are asking for their exclusion from the final electoral register. At the same time, the OIF advises the electoral commission to continue the investigations on this matter without calling into question the conclusions of this audit.

The chairman of the electoral commission, Corneille Nangaa promised to take into account the recommendations of the OIF. He even announced the posting of provisional lists of voters this week.