Association for Free Research and International Cooperation (AFRIC): Election in DRC Will Be Held Before the New Year

KINSHASA, DR Congo, December 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

A presidential election in the Democratic Republic of Congo takes place on Sunday 30 December, the country's electoral commission has announced, citing problems caused by a recent fire that destroyed 80% of the voting machines in the capital, Kinshasa.

Corneille Nangaa, the head of the electoral commission, said officials have found enough voting machines for Kinshasa but had to get 5 million new ballots printed. Nangaa called on the country of some 40 million voters for calm, according to Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/20/drc-presidential-election-postponed-for-at-least-a-week-congo).

Recall that the DRC's outgoing president, Joseph Kabila, refused to leave office at the end of his second term in 2016. The country's constitution limits presidents to two terms.

Earlier local media reported CENI had cited three reasons for the delay: the deaths of more than 100 people in ethnic violence in the north-west of the country, an outbreak of Ebola in the east and a shortfall in the number of ballot papers it had been able to distribute, says Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/20/drc-presidential-election-postponed-for-at-least-a-week-congo).

It is important to note that voting machines will be used for the first time in Africa in the upcoming presidential elections.

Association for Free Research and International Cooperation (AFRIC) is a community of independent researchers, experts and activists. The main goals are creating a platform for elaboration and dissemination of objective analytical information, first-hand opinions; establishing direct communication and cooperation. https://afric.online/