Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kinshasa (Fides Service) - A provisional list has been announced of candidates in presidential elections in Democratic Congo in June: 73 people presented their candidature and the Independent Electoral Commission accepted 32 including the candidacy of four women.
Besides the candidacy of out-going president Joseph Kabila, the Commission accepted those of his 3 vice presidents, Azarias Ruberwa head of a former rebel movement, Jean-Pierre Bemba, head of another movement which has turned in its arms, and Arthur Zahidi Ngoma, leader of an Opposition party.
A total 41 candidates were rejected for not paying the 50,000 dollars deposit foreseen by the electoral law, except one, rejected for not presenting the right papers. The electoral Commission will also examine a list of 8,650 candidates for legislative elections. On 19 April the Independent Electoral Commission is expected to announce the date of the first round of presidential and that of legislative elections. The vote set for 18 June was postponed for logistic reasons. The new schedule will be announced after the list of candidates for legislative elections has been approved.
“The high number of candidates for both presidential and legislative elections mirrors the atmosphere of expectation and participation in the country’s first truly free elections in over 40 years” say local Church sources. “There are logistic problems but this should not discourage people from wanting a positive change for the country”.
“The local Catholic Church has fully supported efforts to promote democracy in DR Congo be means of programmes of civic education conducted by special commissions at parish and diocesan level” the sources recalled. “The local Church also presented a profile of the ideal candidate, honest, qualified, personal life etc, and guidelines to understand the implications of electoral programmes presented by the different parties. The guidelines were simply general criteria and gave no indication whatsoever of who or which party people should vote” the source recalled.
Also the international community has offered full support for elections in DR Congo. To guarantee security during the vote besides a contingent of 17,000 UN peacekeepers, at the request of the UN the European Union will send a peacekeeping mission directed from Germany. After years of civil war the country’s infrastructures fail to meet with international standards. Recently UN secretary general Kofi Annan said the vote in Congo “involves major logistic challenges if not nightmares”. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 6/4/2006 righe 38 parole 470)
