On Sunday, October 30, CENI board members, led by Rev Daniel Ngoy Mulunda, conferred with 5 presidential candidates and the representatives of the remaining 6 other candidates at CENI headquarters in the presence of Governor Bill Richardson, who was in Kinshasa at the “invitation of the National Democratic Institute (NDI),” Ambassador Roger Meece, UN Special Representative of the Secretary General and MONUSCO Mission Head, as well as a few other ambassadors accredited to Kinshasa.
The security of the presidential candidates, the prevention of election-related violence, the post-electoral dialogue, and the “level playing field” for all candidates were among the items on the agenda.
Presidential candidate Vital Kamerhe bemoaned the fact that there are billboards of the incumbent president on public buildings; that some governors, government ministers and managers of public companies and parastatals are vigorously campaigning for Kabila—occurrences that give the lie to the level playing field CENI is advocating.
“We say that they are using the means of the state in their position [for political gains],” Kamerhe told the press after the meeting. “This sets us off balance.”
Answering questions posed by members of the media at the close of the meeting, Bill Richardson stated:
“I think that CENI has just explained to all presidential candidates the work it’s doing to ensure that elections are held on November 28. I have a good history with your country and I love this country. I’m expecting to see free and democratic elections held on November 28” (my retranslation from the French translation).
Governor Richardson also said he had released a statement condemning gender-based violence, by which he expects all the presidential candidates to abide.
2) Kabila launches electoral campaign in Kindu, provincial capital of Maniema
In the afternoon of Sunday, October 30, with his wife Olive Lembe by his side, Joseph Kabila formally launched his electoral campaign in Kindu, in the Maniema Province, with a long speech in Swahili in front of thousands of his supporters. According to Radio Okapi, “he walked 5 km on foot [from the airport] to get downtown, where he launched his electoral campaign.”
Why Kabila chose to launch his campaign in the province with the lowest number of registered voters is a mystery to political analysts and observers (Maniema has only 874,809 registered voters out of the 32,024,640 officially registered nationwide).
But the reasons for the choice of Maniema are quite obvious to me: 1) the First Lady’s mother is from Maniema; 2) Many pro-Kabila stalwarts are from Maniema (including the Foreign Minister Alexis Thambwe Mwamba and DRC Ambassador to London Barnabé Kikaya bin Karubi); and, last and not least, 3) Maniema is a showcase of some of Kabila’s achievements: the construction of a university in Kindu to be inaugurated today and on-going electrification and roadway projects.
Kabila also promised Kindu inhabitants that their city would soon be the headquarters of SNCC (Société Nationale des Chemins de fer du Congo), the railroad company now headquartered in Lubumbashi, Katanga. He finally urged the throng of his supporters to vote “not 80%, but 90% to 100% for Candidate Number 3.”
3) UDPS kicks off presidential and legislative campaigns in Kinshasa
Still on Sunday, UDPS kicked off its presidential and legislative campaigns with a long motorized procession from its headquarters in Limete quarter of Kingabwa Commune to the Stade Tata Raphaël, in the Kalamu Commune, the other big soccer stadium of Kinshasa.
At the stadium, UDPS secretary general Jacquemain Shabani gave a rousing speech to UDPS supporters in which he announced that UDPS will sign the Code of Conduct on Thursday, November 3—an announcement that was somehow contradicted in the evening by Etienne Tshisekedi, who is in South Africa, in a phone interview in Lingala with RLTV (see next section).
4) From South Africa, Tshisekedi quashes rumors of failing health
A view of Place Victoire, Kalamu Commune
A hub and origin point of rumors
Photo: Alex Engwete
A hub and origin point of rumors
Photo: Alex Engwete
In a phone interview in Lingala with Eliezer Ntambwe on pro-UDPS RLTV, Etienne Tshisekedi, who was speaking from South Africa (probably Johannesburg), quashed rumors of his failing health and announced he’d be returning to the DRC either tomorrow Tuesday, or on Wednesday.
It’s been over a month and a half or more since Tshisekedi had left the country for a North American and European tour. About two weeks ago, pro-Tshisekedi politicians had announced that their leader would soon return to the DRC via South Africa, with Kisangani as entry point. Well, since the electoral campaign kick-off, Tshisekedi had been MIA.
As the Congolese grapevine of Radio-Trottoir doesn’t allow that kind of information limbo, fresh updates on Tshisekedi’s health bulletin were available at street corners and major squares of the Congolese capital every half-hour—especially at Place Victoire, one of Kinshasa hubs and origin point of many rumors. One rumor alleged that Tshisekedi suffered a stroke and was in a vegetative state in a Johannesburg hospital. The rumor went on to say that UDPS was keeping mum on Tshisekedi’s health condition to allow his son, Félix, an MP candidate in Oriental Kasai Province, to run the country in the stead of his father in the event that the latter wins the election!
With Tshisekedi’s phone interview, all these rumors have now been dispelled, to the great relief of UDPS supporters. Tshisekedi announced he has a jet, a DC-3, and a helicopter for his campaign. He also confirmed he’d first land in the Orientale Province before proceeding to the Kivus and Maniema for his eastern campaign. He would then return to Kinshasa before going to Bas-Congo, Bandundu, and both Kasai provinces.
Asked about CENI’s Code of Conduct, Tshisekedi, contradicting UDPS secretary general Jacquemain Shabani, said there was no way UDPS would sign it while its demands are not satisfactorily answered by the electoral commission. Among the conditions laid down by UDPS and its allies are the release of arrested demonstrators (not in the purview of CENI) and the audit of the central server of the electoral commission (on the latter, see next section).
5) CENI takes pro-Tshisekedi opposition leaders around and around in circles
According to pro-Tshisekedi opposition leaders, CENI is taking them around and around in circles without any solution in sight. At times, they claim, CENI would invite them at its headquarters and then leave them hang. Sometimes, pro-Kabila leaders without apparently any knowledge of the contention would show up to represent the MP (Majorité Présidentielle), and then the meeting would hinge on explaining to them again and again what the terms of reference of the opposition are all about.
These leaders are fed up and accuse CENI of using a “wear-them-out” tactics and fear that the audit of the central server might never see the light of day. It’s still unclear what response these leaders envisage if the much-clamored-for audit never happens.
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In an unrelated development, Congo Média Channel (CMC) owned by Kabila’s ex-spokesman Kudura Kasongo and his wife, MP Pascaline Kudura, is back on air, apparently broadcasting from another location.
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