By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES

The presidential election in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that was scheduled this Sunday has been postponed until December 30, the DRC electoral commission announced today. Citing a fire that reportedly destroyed thousands of electronic voting machines, the DRC Independent National Election Commission (CENI) stated in was “technically unable” to organize the December 23 election.

 

“Following consultations with all stakeholders including the institutions of the Republic, leaders of political parties, leaders of religious denominations, representatives of the international community and especially candidates for the presidential election, the President of the CENI announced today that the presidential, national and provincial direct polls originally scheduled for December 23, 2018 will be held on December 30, 2018.”

DR Congo CENI Statement Dec. 20, 2018.

A senior source in CENI said the panel would order a one-week postponement after a warehouse fire destroyed thousands of electronic voting machines earmarked for Kinshasa, the nation’s capital.

DRC Has Never Experienced Peaceful Transition Of Power Since It Gained Independence From Belgium In 1960.

The DR Republic and the international community had high hopes for what would be the country’s first peaceful transition of power since gaining independence from Belgium in 1960, when current President Joseph Kabila announced in August he would not be a candidate in this month’s election. Many feared the 47-year-old president, in power since 2001, would run for a third term, despite being barred from doing so by the constitution.  United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres  commended Kabila’s decision not to stand in the presidential election.  Kabila has been in power since 2001 after succeeding his father (Laurent Kablia) who was assassinated. Kabila was due to step down in 2017 after reaching the end of his constitution-limited two terms in office.  However, Kabila remained in power by invoking a caretaker clause in the constitution that enables a president to stay in office until his or her successor is elected. The elections were postponed until the end of 2017 under a deal brokered by the Catholic church, and then again until 2018. The delay sparked protests that were violently suppressed, with dozens of deaths, leading to an outcry by western nations and the UN.

The Candidates:

More than twenty candidates have hopes for becoming DR Congo’s  next president. 

These Are The Main Candidates:

Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, a former interior minister, is Kabila’s chosen successor. Shadary is relatively unknown in political circles but is fiercely loyal to Kabila. He is described as a hardliner with a fearsome reputation.

Felix Tshisekedi Emerges as Major Opposition Politician in DR Congo

Felix Tshisekedi, 55-years-old-, is the son of the late veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshiseked, and has a lot to prove to move out of the shadow of his legendary father. His father founded the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (known by its French initials UDPS) in 1982, and was a feared rival of dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, who died months after being ousted in 1997, and later of Presidents Laurent and Joseph Kabila. Under his leadership, the UDPS became the country’s largest opposition party, but he never succeeded in winning office.

DR Congo Banned Former War Lord Jean-Pierre Bemba From Running In Election

Jean-Pierre Bemba’s bid to stand in the presidential elections was spoiled by DR Congo government officials, who ruled he could not participate due to his conviction by the International Criminal Court
Bemba, a former warlord, made a big splash back onto the Congolese political scene arriving by private jet from Belgium to register for the presidential elections to be held in December. His return to DR Congo caused a political earthquake in the campaign for the nation’s next president. However, the DR Congo’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) rejected the candidacy of Bemba for the presidential election . The INEC stated that its decision is based on the fact that Bemba, a former warlord, had been sentenced to one year in prison and a payment of 30,000 euros in fines by the ICC for bribing witnesses. 
 The ICC’s Appeal judges in June overturned Bemba’s 2016 conviction, when he was found guilty of two counts of crimes against humanity and three counts of war crimes. He had been sentenced to 18 years in jail. The Hague-based ICC ruled Bemba, 56-years-old, could not be criminally liable for the crimes committed by his troops in the Central African Republic (CAR) in 2002 and 2003.

Bemba arrived back in DR Congo by private jet to register for presidential elections

After being released from spending a decade locked up in The Hague-based ICC for a war crimes conviction, Bemba returned to his home in the Democratic Republic of Congo August 1, 2018 to register in the presidential elections .

Africa’s second largest country, Democratic Republic of Congo, is rich in raw materials and minerals but cursed by deadly violence, insurgencies, graft and poverty, reports France24.

“The DRC has the potential to be one of Africa’s wealthiest countries “if it can overcome its political instability,”  the World Bank says. It is the world’s leading producer of cobalt, a key ingredient in top-range batteries including for smartphones and electric cars, and a top supplier of coltan, another mineral used for electronic products. It is also Africa’s top producer of copper, and sits on hydrocarbons, tropical timber, gold, diamonds and other minerals. But competition for the wealth has bred conflict, graft, smuggling and mismanagement. “

France24.com.