Briefing: Elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo, November 2011

Abstract

"On November 28, 2011 the Democratic Republic of Congo is holding its second election since the end of a decade-long civil war in 2003. At stake is the credibility of the country`s fledgling democracy. The electoral process is a significant test of how robust the country`s new institutions are, and how much independence they have managed to establish for themselves over the last five years. The participation of significant opposition figures such as Etienne Tshisekedi and Vital Kamerhe means that the electorate has the choice between three viable presidential candidates. This places significant pressure on the ruling party, and incumbent candidate Joseph Kabila, whose track record for the first five year mandate is relatively poor. This briefing paper was presented at the ISS Seminar: Upcoming Election in DRC - Political Dynamics, Security Implications held on the 9th of November 2011 in Pretoria by Ms. Stephanie Wolters, director of Okapi Consulting. She is an analyst on the Great Lakes region as well as other African conflict zones. She reported from Kinshasa for the BBC, Reuters and The Economist from 1998-2002, when she became Radio Okapi`s first news editor." (Introduction, p.1)