Waging Peace:  Democratic Republic of the Congo

Monitoring Elections

At the invitation of the Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) and the welcome of political parties, The Carter Center launched an international election observation mission in August 2011 for the DRC's Nov. 28, 2011, presidential and parliamentary elections.

Ten long-term observers were deployed to six provinces across DRC to gain firsthand knowledge of the activities of the election commission, political parties, civil society organizations, and the international community, as well as other domestic and international election observation missions.

In November 2011, a larger short-term delegation joined the long-term observers, which was led by former President of Zambia Rupiah Bwezani Banda and Vice President of Carter Center Peace Programs Dr. John Stremlau, and composed of 70 observers from 27 countries.

In a Nov. 30, 2011, preliminary statement, The Carter Center welcomed the conduct of presidential and legislative elections, saying that voters participated in large numbers with few major incidents that disrupted the peaceful conduct of the polls. Carter Center observers visited nearly 300 polling stations across the 10 provinces and Kinshasa. Preliminary findings included that CENI's administration of the election was wrought with logistical and budgetary challenges. On multiple important election preparations, CENI operations deviated from the electoral calendar. The original candidate nomination period was extended; identification of polling stations was completed late; the voter lists were not posted at all polling stations as required by law by Oct. 28; and essential election materials, notably ballot papers, were delivered at the last minute. Read the full report >

The Carter Center found the provisional presidential election results announced by the CENI on Dec. 9, 2011, to lack credibility. The Center's findings are detailed in a Dec. 10, 2011, statement.

2006 Elections
The Carter Center was invited to observe the Democratic Republic of the Congo's 2006 elections by the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI), and staff from Atlanta visited the DRC on two occasions in 2004 to make preparations and meet with a range of political participants.

In March 2006, the Center established a small office in Kinshasa with a team of representatives to manage the overall election observation program. Several long-term election observers arrived in late April to monitor electoral preparations and the campaign period. The long-term observers also monitored and verified incidents of violence, intimidation, or human rights violations as well as other security concerns. The observers were mobile in order to cover a wide geographical area and effectively provide advance information for a larger number of short-term observers. After the elections, the observers and others monitored postelection processes.

Shortly before the elections, the long-term observers were joined by a larger delegation that focused primarily on the conduct of polling and counting of ballots. The 58-member international delegation was co-led by former Prime Minister of Canada Joe Clark and Dr. John Stremlau, Carter Center associate executive director for peace programs.

Partnership between The Carter Center and Congolese participants was a key element of election observation plans. The Center worked with other domestic and international observation groups to coordinate deployment plans and share information about the election process.

Voting on July 30 was calm and orderly throughout most of the DRC – a major milestone for the democratic process, and the Congolese people were quite rightly proud of this achievement. High voter turnout was another indication of the strong desire on the part of the population to finally choose its own leaders. In the vast majority of cases, polling station staff took their responsibilities very seriously and worked diligently, throughout the night and in difficult conditions, to complete the counting process.

No candidate won a 50 percent plus one majority of the vote, so a runoff election was scheduled between the top two candidates.

2006 Presidential Runoff Elections
The Carter Center sent a 45-member international delegation to observe the DRC's presidential runoff elections, which was again co-led by former Prime Minister of Canada Joe Clark and Dr. John Stremlau, associate executive director of peace programs at The Carter Center.

On Oct. 29, the majority of Congolese voters participated in a runoff election that in most parts of the country was extremely orderly and peaceful. The administration of these elections was very well-executed, bearing testimony to the accumulated experience of the many thousands of election workers over three democratic exercises held in less than a year.

The delegation noted that instances of disruption or attempted manipulation of the electoral process, while serious in a few cases, appeared isolated and unlikely to affect the overall success of the vote. Polling stations were very well-organized, and electoral workers carried out their responsibilities competently and professionally.

Electoral administration procedures were revised appropriately by the CEI since the previous round, and while the new measures were not always fully implemented, voting and counting operations were significantly improved.

On Nov. 28, 2006, Jean-Pierre Bemba accepted defeat after his legal challenge to the election result was thrown out by the DRC's Supreme Court. The former rebel leader had received 42 percent of the runoff votes compared to Joseph Kabila's 58 percent.