Since the December 2023 general elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which saw Mr. Felix-Antoine TSHISEKEDI win the presidential election, the Independent National Electoral Commission, or CENI for short, the body empowered to organize these elections, has been the focus of criticism. Deemed incompetent and partisan for elections deemed chaotic by some, and excellent and beyond reproach by others, the CENI and these latest elections have left neither political faction nor national and international public opinion indifferent.
CENI's detractors accuse its Chairman, Mr Dénis KADIMA, of being from the same tribal and linguistic affiliation with the President of the Republic. For them, this re-election by an overwhelming majority would constitute a natural cause of preference on the part of CENI's leaders. While others criticize CENI for the lack of transparency in the electoral process, the absence of consensus in certain decisions with certain parties involved in the process, chaotic logistics deployment of electoral material, and the deplorable organization of voting operations, open cheating and many other irregularities.
However, notwithstanding all the criticisms levelled at CENI by its detractors, Congolese public opinion and the International Community have noted and saluted the titanic work carried out by CENI throughout the electoral process, which has been delayed for more than two years as a result of the procrastination, prevarication and delaying tactics of politicians seeking to install the CENI Bureau.
However, it is important to point out here that many, if not all, of the grievances levelled at CENI have been resolved, because CENI had doubled its efforts to make up for time lost in idle debates and to offer the Congolese people transparent, inclusive and peaceful elections. This, as a national institution supporting democracy. Up to this day, only the short-sighted or those who have opted to see nothing good have been able to see the efforts made by CENI to resolve the constraints it faces on a daily basis.
On December 20, 2023, the day of the combined polls, the organization of the elections was very laborious in terms of logistical and operational challenges, because for the first time in our country's history, CENI attempted, on an experimental pilot basis, to organize the presidential poll for five countries (South Africa, Belgium, Canada, the United States of America and France).
All the logistical and operational challenges were met by CENI, which proceeded either by replacing the machines that didn't work, or by deploying them to geographical areas not yet served by machines, or by authorizing centers and offices that had opened late to complete the legal 11 hours of voting.
The Congolese saw CENI officials on the ground wherever voting operations were to be held, and in particular its National Executive Secretary, Mr. MABIKU TOTOKANI Thotho, was on the streets of Kinshasa, working with his teams to resolve as far as possible the difficulties faced by some polling centers and offices, as well as by voters.
Other problems faced by CENI services included acts of vandalism, mainly the ransacking of polling stations and violent assaults on electoral agents, acts of criminality targeting electoral kits and acts of fraud. For anyone with any sense of judgement left, these uncivil acts are not the fault of CENI, which is going to want one thing and its opposite at the same time, i.e. to successfully organize elections where all the preachers in troubled waters have prophesied chaos and social unrest, and at the same time undermine its own efforts by boycotting the process carried out with dedication and self-sacrifice on the part of both CENI leaders and staff.
It's clear that most of the cases of ransacking polling stations and setting fire to DEVs were due to voters' misunderstandings, on the one hand, and to the bad faith of those who swore by the cancellation of the elections for ulterior political reasons and calculations, on the other.
In response to these acts of vandalism, CENI cancelled the vote in areas where irregularities were flagrant, such as in Masimanimba, Budjala and Bomongo. In addition, CENI was quick to invalidate a total of 82 candidates who were suspected of massive fraud, ballot box stuffing and acts of vandalism.
No one will remember that in the history of CENI, then CEI, irregularities were decried and documented, but not a single candidate was either worried or invalidated by the electoral body. What has just happened today at CENI is a major first, as the invalidated candidates are not only heavyweights in Congolese politics, but eminent personalities from both the presidential majority (Sacred Union) and the opposition. CENI has therefore not beaten about the bush to set the tone for a clean-up of the Congolese political class, which has made corruption the general rule.
Internally, the National Executive Secretary has suspended a number of antenna chiefs, logisticians and other SEP and antenna members who have collaborated directly or indirectly with politicians whose actions have jeopardized the ongoing process and social peace. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate CENI on this fine lesson in democracy for politicians, who need to understand that today's republic deserves better than political flights of fancy that do nothing but tarnish the image of the country's institutions and undermine the efforts of honest citizens to build a country that is better than before.
While striving to respect our country's Constitution and respond to unforeseen circumstances in order to provide the Congolese people with the most credible, transparent and independent elections, CENI has never refrained from cleaning out its own stables. From time to time, since the start of the electoral process, agents and officials in charge of polling centers and stations have been either arrested or dismissed from their positions when they were guilty of participating in fraud or other acts contrary to the ethics of their position.
It is therefore worth noting in gold ink that the new management of CENI has made a point of being more transparent than previous teams by publishing the results constituency by constituency, polling station by polling station, and by including in the combined ballot the municipal elections, which are a constitutional first and therefore imperative.
All this (adjustments, troubleshooting, cancellation of polls in certain constituencies, sanctions against fraudsters and their accomplices, etc.) was done by CENI management to make this electoral process as credible, transparent and independent as possible, but this was without taking into account the zany and eccentric nature of Congolese politicians. For these politicians, most of whom can see no further than the tip of their egotistical ambitions, it's easy to look at things simply and cynically, pointing the finger at CENI and making it their scapegoat. Instead of questioning their organizational shortcomings and lack of political strategy, they attack the central election organizer, accusing him of everything.
Like scavengers around a corpse, Congolese politicians like to play with fire by stirring up the tribal, clan and linguistic fibres of the population, only exacerbating the discontent and resentment of the people without proposing anything in the way of credible and appropriate alternatives to the evil that has become Congolese, or working for the civic and moral education of their militants.., It is therefore unacceptable that rogue politicians with no grassroots roots should swear by setting the country on fire while they claim to be citizen opposition
The new legislators are invited to innovate by including in the school curriculum, from kindergarten onwards, the culture of fair play and sportsmanship in all kinds of competition, including elections. Since power is not an end in itself, the electoral derby must be subject to patriotism and nationalism rather than selfish interests.
Elections must therefore not give rise to gratuitous violence, tribalist rhetoric, unrest or armed conflict. of the nation. Political party activists must learn to preserve democratic gains and the nation's best interests. The consideration of one's own belly should not motivate actions that will have significant repercussions in the present and on future generations. This is why, for its part, the majority of the population has done its part by opting to consolidate the gains made by rejecting calls for insurrection and uprising based on a selfishly biased understanding of article 64 of the Constitution. Political party activists must learn to preserve democratic gains and the best interests of the nation. This article of the Constitution does not invite the population to take up arms against the country's institutions. Indeed, the Constitution stipulates that "All Congolese have the duty to defeat any individual or group of individuals who take power by force or who exercise it in violation of the provisions of the present Constitution."
It further adds that "Any attempt to overthrow the constitutional regime constitutes a prescriptible offence against the nation and the State. It shall be punished in accordance with the law".
It is therefore necessary to be intelligent when reading the legal texts of the Republic.
Far from considering only the quality of the formidable work carried out by the proven and indisputable expertise of the CENI, for which many countries envy us today, we must above all salute the mission engraved in the DNA of this structure, to implement and strengthen the hard-won democracy, which it (the CENI) has striven to achieve against all odds. Today, if the country is perceived as a credible partner, it's because of its legitimate democratic institutions, the result of a transparent process involving millions of Congolese, skilfully organized by CENI. This is what makes it possible to build social peace and national harmony over five-year periods, to give the Congolese people, through the CENI, what they have always wanted, namely "to build a more beautiful country in peace".
However, as all human endeavors can be improved upon, it is up to Congolese legislators to improve, through new laws, what has not worked in terms of coordination, organization and operations, to make the CENI more efficient. After all, CENI does not pass laws.
Future governments must continue to participate actively and contribute fully and financially to future electoral processes to prevent dictates from abroad. It's up to the Congolese people to remain vigilant, so as not to allow their sovereignty to be stolen, and it's up to politicians to fight for the people's trust and win fairly.
The Congolese nation will always be grateful to the current CENI for its philosophy of the truth of the ballot box and its commitment to transparency.
