DRC: Protestant Church publishes roadmap for elections in 2023

Protestant worshipers pray at a service in Loma, near Mbanza-Ngungu, DRC (illustrative image).

AFP - LUIS TATO

Text by: RFI Follow

3 min

After the Catholic bishops, the Protestants are raising their voice against any postponement of the 2023 elections. The Church of Christ in Congo (ECC), the second largest religious denomination in the country, unveiled on Saturday March 27 in Kinshasa, its roadmap in the presence of some elected officials and civil society activists.

For Protestants, it is a real race against time that must be started now to hold the elections on time.

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With our correspondent in Kinshasa,

Pascal Mulegwa

Time is running out and the tone of the President of the Protestants, the Reverend André Bokundoa-Bo-Likabe, becomes firm.

“ 

Credible, transparent and peaceful elections absolutely deserve to be held in 2023. We should urgently find a national consensus around the prerequisites likely to officially start the electoral process.

So far we are only in the political debates without formally starting the electoral cycle of 2023 

”.

The Church of Christ in Congo considers that the organization of the elections on December 24, 2023 is still possible.

Entitled “Cap 2023”, its roadmap involves a series of actions which should begin on April 12 with advocacy with institutions.

There will also be activities to mobilize the population around the electoral issue, explains Reverend Éric Senga, secretary general of the justice, peace and safeguarding of creation commission.

"

We do not want it to remain a debate at the level of institutions, that is why we will set up action groups in universities, in secondary schools even in the most remote areas of our churches. We are going to start this debate. to try to popularize the reform project more and get the population to take ownership of it

 ”.

For the ECC, it would first be necessary for Parliament to quickly reform the law governing the electoral commission.

And by June, install the new Céni team.

The appointment of these members was at the origin of the crisis between President Félix Tshisekedi and his predecessor.

To read also: DRC: the Church wants new appointments to the Ceni before the electoral reform

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DRC: Church wants new Ceni appointments before electoral reform