SADC SHOULD HELP DRC HOLD CREDIBLE, FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) should help the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Mr Felix Tshisekedi, in particular, to hold peaceful, credible, free and fair presidential and parliamentary elections slated for December 20, 2023.
Incumbent President Tshisekedi is seeking re-election after being in power for four years. Without a doubt, the stakes are high for Mr Tshisekedi, who has presided over a highly corrupt, tribal and inefficient regime, which has made the political and socio-economic situation for the Congolese people far worse than before.
We therefore, implore SADC to take keen interest in the unfortunate happenings in the DRC and ensure that the authorities adopt the necessary steps to warrant that next week’s elections will meet acceptable standards, and will not threaten the rights of citizens to freely and proudly elect their representatives.
We make this call due to the harsh pre-election environment prevailing in the DRC at the moment, which is seriously undermining the electoral process owing to the Tshisekedi regime’s use of intimidation, excessive violence and other electoral-related violations against the leading challenger Mr Moise Katumbi and Ensemble Pour La Republique (Together for the Republic).
Let SADC help the DRC authorities to respect and implement the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, as well as the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections.
They must also urge the government of the DRC to ensure that national, regional, and international election observation missions are granted full access to all electoral locations throughout the country.
The political will of the Congolese people must prevail, and the DRC authorities should embrace measures that comform to both local and international laws on elections.
We would like to caution SADC to seriously look into these matters because, as it stands now, the DRC is on the verge of a major electoral crisis, which might plunge the country into chaos.
SADC must be concerned with Mr Tshisekedi’s irresponsible attempts to disturb the electoral process through violence and intimidation because once the DRC implodes, it’s the region that will bear the consequences of the humanitarian crisis that will unfold.
Therefore, it is in the best interest of SADC to proactively address the electoral process ahead of the elections before the situation degenerates into chaos.
Allowing the current criminality, impunity, and electoral 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 [Zambia]
I think Mr. Mmembe is does not know what he stands for. Is he not the same man who was demonizing SADC after the Zimbabwe elections when they took a stand to ensure the electoral requirements were adhered but just because he hates president HH with a passion, he demonized SADC? Now today he wants the same organization he demonized to handle a similar situation in DRC? Doesn’t he know that accusation were destroying the same institution he is asking to help DRC?
I think membe has stopped thinking. What did he say about SADC when in Zimbabwe? What has now made him to change the mind, is it he doesn’t like Tsheketi and favours Katumbi?