The Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Africa's fourth most populous country, will go to the polls on December 20,
2023, to choose its president, parliamentarians, and local representatives. The
election is happening against a backdrop of economic challenges and ongoing
armed conflict in the eastern part of the country. Given its central location,
the outcome of this election will have significant ramifications for all of Africa.
This article provides some key facts about the elections:
1. Incumbent President Felix
Tshisekedi, who has been in power since 2019 is seeking re-election for a
second term.
2. Besides the presidential race,
voters will choose from tens of thousands of candidates for legislative and
local bodies.
3. 24 candidates have been cleared
by the Independent National Elections Commission to contest the election.
4. Nearly 25,000 candidates are
contesting for 500 National Assembly seats.
5. The President is elected by
direct popular vote to serve a 5-year term.
6. The electoral commission has
registered nearly 44 million voters in a country with a population of
approximately 102 million people.
7. In 63 years of independence,
the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has had only one peaceful transition
of power: the controversial 2019 win of Felix Tshisekedi.
8. There are only two women in the
race: Marie-Josée Ifoku Mputa, a presidential candidate in December 2018, and
Joëlle Bile.
9. The European Union observer
mission has pulled out of the election, after failing to reach an agreement
with the Congolese government over the importation of communication devices
they needed to use to monitor the elections. They will be deploying eight
experts but only in the capital, Kinshasa.
10. According to the electoral
calendar, the provisional results are expected on 31 December. If the results
are ready before that, they could be released sooner.
11. The winner of the presidential
election will be sworn into office on 20 January 2024.