Carter Center Preliminary Statement on the Democratic Republic of the Congo 2023 General Elections

The Carter Center observed the Dec. 20, 2023, general elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Despite serious operational and security challenges, the elections were held within the constitutional deadline, including for the first time local elections in the provincial capitals. The Commission Electorale Nationale Indépendante (CENI) and its officials throughout the country made significant efforts to deploy the necessary materials and personnel to the polling stations. Despite these efforts, there were widespread reports of polling stations throughout the country, including in Kinshasa, that were unable to open on time due to the absence of materials or which had to close temporarily due to issues with voting machines. Since some polling stations did not open at all on Dec. 20, the CENI decided voting would continue on Dec. 21. Unfortunately, the CENI did not provide data about the extent of these operational difficulties.