United Nations Security Council delegation arrives in D.R. Congo

A delegation from the United Nations Security Council arrived in Kinshasa on Friday ahead of a long-postponed presidential poll.

The council team will restrict its visit to the capital Kinshasa and plans to meet president Kabila, his prime minister and foreign minister.

UN Security Council team visits DR Congo at tense time A delegation from the UN Security Council was awaited Friday in Kinshasa ahead of a long-postponed presidential poll and amid tensions… https://t.co/hF2awCODfV

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The team visited the office of the independent electoral commission responsible for organising the election.

“The process is progressing well and that elections will be held on December 23”, said .Corneille Nangaa, Chairman of the D.R. Congo Electoral Commission.

“Our priority and objective today is that there will be elections on December 23, and that these elections will be credible, transparent, and that they will be held in a peaceful atmosphere”, said François Delattre, French Ambassador to the United Nations

The 15-member team will also hold talks with civil society leaders, representatives of women’s organisations and religious bodies.

“The timing, of course, is not due to chance. We wish once again, as members of the Security Council, to put all our weight behind the process, so that the DRC can find the way to a credible and transparent electoral process”, said François Delattre, French ambassador to the United Nations

Congo’s opposition parties are looking for a single candidate to rally round instead of boycotting the poll.

The opposition alleges the introduction of voting machines is a means to rig the elections but the electoral commission has denied the allegation saying the machines will cut both cost and fraud.

AFP