DR Congo Catholic Church warns of flawed elections

KINSHASA – Congo’s influential Catholic Church warned electoral authorities on Friday it would not recognise the validity of historic national polls this month unless alleged flaws in their organisation were resolved.

Arguing that fears of vote manipulation and fraud were well founded, Democratic Republic of Congo’s Catholic bishops said in a statement that the necessary conditions did not yet exist to hold free and fair elections on July 30 as scheduled. The Catholic Church’s blunt warning followed several street protests in Kinshasa by supporters of some election candidates who have complained of irregularities threatening the former Belgian colony’s first open, multi-party polls in four decades.At least half Congo’s 60 million people are Catholic and the Church has a powerful voice in a state as big as Western Europe.But the electoral commission, which with UN support is staging the vote in the vast, war-battered state, brushed aside its concerns and said the vote would go ahead.Congo’s National Episcopal Conference grouping the country’s bishops criticised what it called “regrettable double dealing”, “manipulation and cheating, if not fraud”.”For this reason, the bishops’ conference, at the risk of not recognising the validity of the elections, demands all those involved in their organisation to dedicate themselves to correcting the irregularities detected,” the statement said.The bishops described the polls as a “question of life and death” for the Congo, which is struggling to recover from a devastating 1998-2003 war which has killed an estimated 4 million people through violence, hunger and disease.Most people live in poverty despite huge reserves of gold, copper and diamonds, and rebels and renegade militias terrorise civilians in many areas despite the presence of the biggest UN peacekeeping force in the world – the 17 000 strong “MONUC”.The UN mission had no immediate response to the bishops’ appeal, but denounced intimidation against one candidate.”MONUC deplores the series of obstacles met by presidential candidate Oscar Kashala since the start of the campaign,” UN spokesman Kemal Saiki said in a prepared statement on Friday.Kashala had been prevented from campaigning across the country after two airlines were pressured into cancelling contracts with him, Saiki said.President Joseph Kabila, who assumed power after his father was assassinated in 2001, is standing against 32 presidential challengers including former rebel leaders, while more than 9 000 candidates are contesting 500 national assembly seats.More than half the presidential candidates called for a suspension of campaigning, and recent protests sparked clashes with police, increasing worries violence could disrupt voting.The Catholic bishops criticised the printing of excess ballots, “contradictory statements” about the exact number of voters, estimated at around 25 million, as well as the absence of an official electoral calendar beyond the July 30 date.Asked if the Church was seeking a postponement, the bishops’ leader, Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, Archbishop of Kisangani, told French RFI radio: “We believe we are not ready”.But Apollinaire Malu Malu, head of the Independent Electoral Commission, defended the polls.”We’re organising elections in accordance with the electoral law and the constitution,” he told reporters.”I can confirm that the first round of elections will take place on July 30.Preparations are going well.”If no presidential candidate gains more than 50 percent of the vote, a second round will be held in mid-October.-Nampa-ReutersThe Catholic Church’s blunt warning followed several street protests in Kinshasa by supporters of some election candidates who have complained of irregularities threatening the former Belgian colony’s first open, multi-party polls in four decades.At least half Congo’s 60 million people are Catholic and the Church has a powerful voice in a state as big as Western Europe.But the electoral commission, which with UN support is staging the vote in the vast, war-battered state, brushed aside its concerns and said the vote would go ahead.Congo’s National Episcopal Conference grouping the country’s bishops criticised what it called “regrettable double dealing”, “manipulation and cheating, if not fraud”.”For this reason, the bishops’ conference, at the risk of not recognising the validity of the elections, demands all those involved in their organisation to dedicate themselves to correcting the irregularities detected,” the statement said.The bishops described the polls as a “question of life and death” for the Congo, which is struggling to recover from a devastating 1998-2003 war which has killed an estimated 4 million people through violence, hunger and disease.Most people live in poverty despite huge reserves of gold, copper and diamonds, and rebels and renegade militias terrorise civilians in many areas despite the presence of the biggest UN peacekeeping force in the world – the 17 000 strong “MONUC”.The UN mission had no immediate response to the bishops’ appeal, but denounced intimidation against one candidate.”MONUC deplores the series of obstacles met by presidential candidate Oscar Kashala since the start of the campaign,” UN spokesman Kemal Saiki said in a prepared statement on Friday.Kashala had been prevented from campaigning across the country after two airlines were pressured into cancelling contracts with him, Saiki said.President Joseph Kabila, who assumed power after his father was assassinated in 2001, is standing against 32 presidential challengers including former rebel leaders, while more than 9 000 candidates are contesting 500 national assembly seats.More than half the presidential candidates called for a suspension of campaigning, and recent protests sparked clashes with police, increasing worries violence could disrupt voting.The Catholic bishops criticised the printing of excess ballots, “contradictory statements” about the exact number of voters, estimated at around 25 million, as well as the absence of an official electoral calendar beyond the July 30 date.Asked if the Church was seeking a postponement, the bishops’ leader, Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, Archbishop of Kisangani, told French RFI radio: “We believe we are not ready”.But Apollinaire Malu Malu, head of the Independent Electoral Commission, defended the polls.”We’re organising elections in accordance with the electoral law and the constitution,” he told reporters.”I can confirm that the first round of elections will take place on July 30.Preparations are going well.”If no presidential candidate gains more than 50 percent of the vote, a second round will be held in mid-October.-Nampa-Reuters