Congo now needs consensus
Aug 21, 2006
DR CONGO now faces a run-off on Sunday 29 October between incumbent President Joseph Kabila who received 44.8% of the votes in the first round of the presidential election and his nearest rival Jean-Pierre Bemba who received 20% of the votes.
DR CONGO now faces a run-off on Sunday 29 October between incumbent President Joseph Kabila who received 44.8% of the votes in the first round of the presidential election and his nearest rival Jean-Pierre Bemba who received 20% of the votes.
The elections have so far been contentious with different regions voting quite differently. Kabila has performed much more strongly in eastern Congo while Kinshasa is for Bemba.
Whatever the flaws of the Congo election, they deserve the support of all the participants and represent the best chance of Congo returning to normality.
Democracy in Congo died with Patrice Lumumba in 1961. Mobutu’s repression held Zaire together but after his death in 1997 the country descended into chaos.
It is commonly claimed that Uganda invaded in Congo in pursuit of its mineral wealth but in truth Uganda was sucked into Congo by the power vacuum that threatened its internal security all along its western border.
Uganda’s political and economic interests are far better served by a stable and prosperous Congo than by an anarchic failed state. Uganda has so far suffered rather than prospered as a result of chaos of Congo.
Many Congolese are dissatisfied with problems in the electoral process, from the campaigning to the counting. But it is incredibly difficult to organise elections in a country as huge and as under-developed as Congo.
Indeed these long delayed elections have cost an estimated $300 million and are the most expensive in the United Nations history. Now the exercise has to be repeated to give 25 million voters the opportunity to vote once again. President Joseph Kabila is clearly the front runner but he needs the political legitimacy that comes from a simple majority vote.
Whatever the final result, it should be willingly endorsed by all Congolese, by Congo’s neighbours and by the world community. Congo needs consensus.
The elections have so far been contentious with different regions voting quite differently. Kabila has performed much more strongly in eastern Congo while Kinshasa is for Bemba.
Whatever the flaws of the Congo election, they deserve the support of all the participants and represent the best chance of Congo returning to normality.
Democracy in Congo died with Patrice Lumumba in 1961. Mobutu’s repression held Zaire together but after his death in 1997 the country descended into chaos.
It is commonly claimed that Uganda invaded in Congo in pursuit of its mineral wealth but in truth Uganda was sucked into Congo by the power vacuum that threatened its internal security all along its western border.
Uganda’s political and economic interests are far better served by a stable and prosperous Congo than by an anarchic failed state. Uganda has so far suffered rather than prospered as a result of chaos of Congo.
Many Congolese are dissatisfied with problems in the electoral process, from the campaigning to the counting. But it is incredibly difficult to organise elections in a country as huge and as under-developed as Congo.
Indeed these long delayed elections have cost an estimated $300 million and are the most expensive in the United Nations history. Now the exercise has to be repeated to give 25 million voters the opportunity to vote once again. President Joseph Kabila is clearly the front runner but he needs the political legitimacy that comes from a simple majority vote.
Whatever the final result, it should be willingly endorsed by all Congolese, by Congo’s neighbours and by the world community. Congo needs consensus.