CATHOLICS, KABILA, OBSERVERS, POLITICAL PARTIES SOUND ALARM ON DRC ELECTIONS
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) should urgently find ways to help the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) navigate its way out of what are clearly fraudulent and chaotic elections.
Incumbent Felix Tshisekedi is seeking re-election in a poll that has raised very serious concerns among the Congolese people, independent election monitoring groups and key stakeholders like the Catholic church, former president Joseph Kabila and participating opposition political parties.
The Catholic church has warned about the integrity of the results and the opposition parties have gone further to demand “the reorganisation of these failed elections by a differently structured” electoral body on a date agreed to by all stakeholders.
The provisional presidential results for the polls are expected by December 31, 2023.
However, we would like to appeal to SADC once more to take keen interest in the unfortunate events currently taking place in the DRC, if the legitimacy of the next administration, and the peace, security and stability of the nation has to be guaranteed.
We say so because historically, electoral disagreements in the DRC often ignite civil unrest, with a possibility of plunging the entire nation into chaos.
These elections have been marred with massive and evident electoral fraud such as polling stations opening late and some not opening at all on voting day; malfunctioning electronic voting systems; police confiscating electronic voting machines in specific polling stations, violence, ruling party candidates and supporters being found with electronic voting machines and ballots in their homes, and so on and so forth.
Clearly, the DRC authorities have failed to respect and implement the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, as well as the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections. What is currently happening in the DRC is an apparent planned electoral mismanagement and fraud, and the results of such an election will in no way reflect the will of the Congolese people.
The Congolese people have once again been robbed of their constitutional right to freely and proudly elect their representatives.
We reiterate that SADC must be concerned with Mr Tshisekedi’s irresponsible attempts to disturb the peace, security and stability of the Congo because once the DRC implodes, it’s the region that will bear the consequences of the humanitarian crisis that will unfold.
It is in the best interest of SADC to proactively address the situation in the DRC before the situation degenerates into chaos. Paying a blind eye to the current criminality, impunity, and electoral mismanagement and fraud in the DRC to continue without any intervention from SADC is postponing trouble for the region.
Fred M’membe
President of the Socialist Party
You should be the last person to talk about the SADC, the body you demonised when they ruled against your besty in Zimbabwe. What has changed no you want it to intervene. Plz just shut up.
Double tongued. Deceitful. Hateful. Self serving.
When Dr Mumba and the team denounced the wrong things which were happening in Zimbabwe, you and your fellows spoken against him and SADC , now what has changed?kkkkkkkkkkkk.
Imagine, what a hypocrite. He was in the lead condemning Nevers Mumba. What his comrade did in Zimbabwe was okay but he’s now condemning DRC elections when the process was similar to Zimbabwe.
This man is just confused, which SADC is he talking about now when he is the same person who condemned SADC in Zimbabwe. In Zimbabwe, SADC gave a preliminary report about Zimbabwe elections and he rejected it. Whatever happened there was okay for him and he even went ahead and attended the inauguration ceremony. But this time around, before SADC even gives us any preliminary report, he is already urging the same SADC he denounced in Zimbabwe to help DRC conduct credible, free and fair elections. Te kutumpa fye uku nomba. How can people trust him, he just talks of what suits his agenda, there is no consistency at all.
The beauty about the truth is that it stands the test of time and never, changes. When Dr. Nevers Mumba and his SADC Zim election monitoring team came up with the objective report about the Zimbabwe elections, Dr. M’membe and the other gang of four members (Emmanuel Mwamba, Raphael Nakachinda and Given Lubinda) were very vocal in condemning the SADC report. Today, the same Dr. M’membe is asking SADC to intervene in the Congo DRC electoral process.
Dr. M’membe doesnot make sense anymore. His inconsistency is very clear to all including his party members. He cannot be trusted.