DRC Workshop on Electoral Perspectives

Introduction

EISA, in collaboration with la Ligue des Electeurs, a Congolese based Non-governmental Organisation, held a workshop on Electoral Perspectives and the Process of Democratization in DRC: Lessons from SADC.

The Workshop took place in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kinshasa from the 20th to the 24th of January 2002.

The conference brought together key role players, including government representatives, political parties, churches and civil society in order to facilitate the generation of broad consensus on an electoral system, the supporting legal framework and models of electoral commissions. The emphasis of the workshop was on learning from electoral experiences of the different SADC countries as well the DRC own experience. The conference concluded with a summary and scenario planning session in terms of a future DRC Electoral System.

The aim of the conference was to encourage consensus-building surrounding suitability of the best electoral system and structures for the DRC prior to the National Dialogue, so that other less complex issues could be the focus of attention during the Dialogue. It was the intention of the conference organisers (EISA and La Ligue des Electeurs), to ensure as much as possible, that multiparty elections in the DRC contribute to a sense of healing in the nation, rather than re-igniting deep-rooted conflict due to non-representative and exclusive election planning, structures and procedures.

All 11 provinces had been invited to the workshop. They were joined by SADC academics, researchers and electoral commissioners who shared with their Congolese counterparts the different SADC electoral experiences.

President Joseph Kabila was expected to address the participants on the opening day (Sunday 20th of January) at 19h00 at the Memling Hotel. The Facilitator of the Inter-Congolese Dialogue Sir Ketumile Masire, The Mediator of the Lusaka Accord, former President of Zambia, Frederick Chiluba and other former Presidents had been invited to the opening ceremony.

Background information

Since independence Congolese have never had a chance to seriously be involved in determining the future of their country. Furthermore, they have never been prepared to influence the course of events simply because they have been generally caught unprepared to make an informed intervention, leaving the responsibility of determining their future in the hands of a few politicians. The opportunity that the Lusaka Accord offers should be ceased and make sure that the people of Congo have a say in the future of their country which would be decided during the planned Inter-Congolese dialogue.

A few months ago very little real discussion could have taken place in the DRC on electoral options, as all political party activities were banned and those civil society organizations that have risked holding such discussions have had members detained without trial or sentenced to imprisonment. This context was antithetical to generating discussion or critical reflection on the various forms of electoral systems, legal frameworks and models of electoral commissions necessary to conduct and sustain future democratic elections. Peace has recently been given a serious boost with the emergence of President Joseph Kabila as head of government in Kinshasa after the assassination of his father, Laurent Kabila in January this year. Besides decisions by the new president to speed up the implementation of the Lusaka Accord by allowing the deployment of the United Nations Peacekeeping (MONUC) and accepting Sir Ketumire Masire as the facilitator of the inter-Congolese dialogue, he has also went ahead to unban political party activities thus setting the stage for inclusive and transparent negotiations.

The idea of holding a workshop on an electoral model for the DRC has been accepted by government, civil society organizations and political parties in the DRC. The workshop in Kinshasa aims at developing a deep understanding of the various electoral systems and frameworks amongst key stakeholders in the country in the light of recent SADC experiences. Over one hundred participants are expected to attend. All the 11 provinces that constitute the DRC have been invited to send representatives. The Congolese participants invited to the workshop include civil society organizations, political party representatives, relevant researchers and academics, churches, the media, as well as government officials. Also invited are top academics, researchers and members of electoral commissions from at least six SADC and one Francophone country who have been invited to share their experiences on electoral systems and elections with their Congolese neighbours.

The workshop will strive to cultivate a deeper understanding of different electoral systems, procedural options and experiences based on comparable cases in the Southern African region. It is the intention of the conference organizers to ensure as much as possible that multiparty elections in the DRC contribute to a sense of healing in the nation, rather than to re-ignite deep-rooted conflict due to non-representative and exclusive election planning, structures and procedures.

The Institute also believes that elections play a determinant role in the process of change from a dictatorial regime to a democratic system of government. The stifling of debate, if left unattended, will leave key role players - including civil society organizations - ill-informed to take appropriate decisions on potentially explosive matters such as creating the conditions and structures for acceptable election results. The absence of critical, well-informed discussion on electoral systems in the DRC could contribute to uninformed decision-making processes that do not support the cultivation of sustainable democracy in the country. The holding of this workshop seeks to prevent such a situation from occurring and consequently enabling an open, educational process to occur which encourages frank discussion on the democratic future of the DRC as well as ways in which electoral system design and structural decision-making can hasten this outcome.

Holding the workshop before the National Dialogue will also allow for more constructive direction to be given to decision-makers at a crucial point in the democratic development of the DRC. The problem to be addressed by this project is the lack of an environment conducive to holding successful free and fair elections in the DRC. The selection of an appropriate electoral system, supporting legal framework and a model of an electoral commission can play a significant role in determining whether the results of a multiparty election process in the DRC is accepted or used as a rationale to return to armed conflict.

The overall objective is to cultivate an improved understanding amongst key role players in the DRC of the different options and experiences of electoral systems and processes, based on comparable cases in the Southern African region. Experiences in other developing countries has shown that a deeper understanding amongst key role players of electoral processes before an election can contribute to increased perceptions of fair inclusion and representation of various groups during and after election processes. This is vital in ensuring that a democratic election outcome is widely accepted, and not used as a pretext to re-ignite deep-rooted conflicts.