In the Democratic Republic of Cogo (DRC), the electoral campaign began this Sunday, November 19, 2023. The final stretch before the general elections on December 20. A multiple vote, since the 44 million voters will have to choose their new president, the provincial and national deputies as well as the municipal councilors.
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Several candidates were already on the ground for this first day. The outgoing president who is seeking a second term, Félix Tshisekedi, was in Kinshasa and he really launched his campaign with great fanfare with a major meeting in the city’s largest stadium: nearly 80,000 people were there.
Successful start to the campaign also for opponent Martin Fayulu. He was in his natural stronghold in Bandundu-ville, in Kwilu, and there were people there to welcome him. Another presidential candidate on the ground, MP Delly Sesanga: he was in the neighboring province of Kwango, in Kenge.
A logistical challenge for candidates
This campaign represents a logistical challenge for the candidates. There DRC, it is in fact more than 2.3 million square kilometers that they must cover in just one month. It is the second largest country on the continent, after Algeria.
In addition, this campaign falls in the middle of the rainy season with difficult to pass roads. In the few travel programs for candidates that RFI has already been able to obtain, we see the emergence of a race against time with sometimes several cities in the same day and travel by car, plane and even boat.
But, more broadly, the DRC is an XXL election in any case. Already, at the candidate level, there are several ballots. For the presidential election, there are now 25. But, for the legislative and provincial elections, there are respectively more than 25,800 and 44,000 candidates. That’s as many people in the countryside at the same time.
For the presidential election, a dispersed opposition
For the presidential election, the outgoing head of state, Félix Tshisekedi is seeking a second term. Around him, we can say that he united his camp. Several political figures support him and did not run against him, such as his two vice-prime ministers Vital Kamerhe or Jean-Pierre Bemba.
Opposite, it is more complicated for the opposition. This election is a one-round election. And, of course, it’s mathematical: the more we bring together, the more we can make a difference. However, the opposition is in disarray. All the heavyweights were able to present themselves: the unsuccessful candidate for the 2018 Presidential election, Martin Fayulu, the former governor of Katanga Moïse Katumbi, the Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege. And since then, there have been discussions. Two blocks are appearing. One around Moïse Katumbi who has just been joined by former Prime Minister Matata Ponyo Mapon and the other around Martin Fayulu.
Suspicions
The opposition fears fraud. Since the start of the process, there has been real mistrust, real mistrust between the Independent National Electoral Commission (Céni) and several candidates. Moreover, some of these candidates did not want to sign the campaign’s charter of good conduct on November 13. The latter then requested a new meeting to discuss it, but they received a negative response from the president of the Céni, Denis Kadima, who however insisted on the fact that the formal and informal discussion channels always remained open.
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