A PPRD supporter
In yellow party colors and "Raïs"(Kabila) written on his back
Kinshasa, Stade des Martyrs
Sunday, August 21, 2011
The frantic cease-and-desist call issued a few days ago by the national independent electoral commission (CENI) to political parties to stop rallies till the official beginning of electoral campaign goes pretty much unheeded.
In the heels of other party congresses held recently in Kinshasa, Joseph Kabila's Parti du Peuple pour Reconstruction et le Développement (PPRD) just held its 3-day second congress over the weekend (August 19-21) at the Stade des Martyrs. Thousands attended, though the bleachers weren't as crowed as at Tshisekedi's UDPS rally in that same venue on Tuesday, August 9. PPRD members were particularly sensitive to this perception of scattered attendance. And at the opening of the PPRD congress Serge Kimbila, the cameraman of the TV channel RTGA, was badly beaten by PPRD supporters for "intentionally filming empty pockets of the Stade des Martyrs"! Reminder: RTGA belongs to pro-Kabila MP Pius Muabilu who was in the crosshairs of the PPRD cadre earlier this month for having his TV station carry live Vital Kamerhe's UNC congress.
Anyway, as could be anticipated, National Assembly Speaker Evariste Boshap, who also doubles as the PPRD secretary general, read the resolution of the the 2nd PPRD congress that designated Joseph Kabila as the party's nominee to run for president. Significantly, Joseph Kabila didn't attend--no doubt to avoid giving ammunitions to his political enemies who would have accused him of "trampling the laws of the Republic" by holding a partisan political rally before the legal period of political campaign.
PPRD party members
Stade des Martyrs
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Photo: John Bompendo/Radio Okapi
Timeline Update:
August 16. In one of the most bizarre developments in the history of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Jean-Pierre Bemba petitioned the court to allow him to travel incognito to Kinshasa to file his candidacy for president (Belgian radiotelevision RTBF). In a ruling issued on the same day, the ICC rejected Jean-Pierre Bemba's request for lack of precedent and as for being a flight risk.
August 17. Joseph Kabila signs into law the newly passed changed version of the Annex to Electoral Law. Among many other things, the law divides the Congolese territory into 169 constituencies. Earlier on, Kabila also signed into law and appointed by ordinance members of the Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel et de la Communication (CSAC)--which replaces the transitional Haute Autorité des Médias (HAM)--the national media speech police. CSAC also determines air time and access to official medias by different political stakeholders and has the authority to suspend newsprints or cut out signals of radio and television stations for unbecoming media stances or reports deemed as endangering public order.
August 18. Rev Ngoy Mulunda, CENI president, announces that the offices of the national independent electoral commission are now open to receive files of presidential and legislative candidacies. The period for filing these candidacies runs from August 18 to September 5.
I just got an updated version of the election timeline published in the online MONUSCO newsletter Bulletin de l’Assistance Electorale Internationale No. 13, August 19, 2011. (I think this Bulletin is only published in French).
According to the Bulletin, Rev Mulunda’s announcement mentioned above took place at a press briefing held at Grand Hotel during which CENI chairman announced that the national independent commission has opened countrywide 170 offices of reception and treatment of candidacies (known by its French acronym BRTC).
Rev Mulunda also gave a detailed revised timeline of 11 benchmarks leading up to the election is as follows. The benchmarks are so tightly sequenced that they have all the hallmarks of a Hail Mary pass—as they don’t even allow for any acts of God!
A. August 18-Sept 14: Filing, reception, and treatment of Candidacies:
1. August 18: Launch of operation of reception and treatment of presidential and legislative candidacies.
2. August 18-September 4: withdrawal of forms by candidates, filing and treatment of candidacies.
3. September 5: End of filing for candidacies.
4. September 6 – 10: Addition to, subtraction from, or substitution of candidacies by political parties.
5. September 11 – 14: Centralization of and deliberation over candidacy dossiers by CENI board.
B. September 15: Publication of provisional list of candidacies by CENI board.
C. September 16-19: Submissions of petitions of rights of review by disqualified candidates.
1. September 20-26: Treatment of contentious matters relating to candidacies by the Supreme Court of Justice.
D. September 27: Publication of the definitive list of candidates by CENI board.
(E. September 18-Nov 26: Ordering, printing, and deployment of ballot papers for presidential and legislative elections.)
F. October 28-November 26: electoral campaign.
G. November 28: General elections.
H. December 6: Publication of provisional electoral results by CENI board.
I. December 7-16: Submissions of petitions of rights of review and examination of contentious matters relating to the results of the presidential election by the Supreme Court of Justice.
J. December 17: Publication of final results by the Supreme Court of Justice.
K. December 20: Swearing in of the president elect.
***
UPDATE:I just got an updated version of the election timeline published in the online MONUSCO newsletter Bulletin de l’Assistance Electorale Internationale No. 13, August 19, 2011. (I think this Bulletin is only published in French).
According to the Bulletin, Rev Mulunda’s announcement mentioned above took place at a press briefing held at Grand Hotel during which CENI chairman announced that the national independent commission has opened countrywide 170 offices of reception and treatment of candidacies (known by its French acronym BRTC).
Rev Mulunda also gave a detailed revised timeline of 11 benchmarks leading up to the election is as follows. The benchmarks are so tightly sequenced that they have all the hallmarks of a Hail Mary pass—as they don’t even allow for any acts of God!
A. August 18-Sept 14: Filing, reception, and treatment of Candidacies:
1. August 18: Launch of operation of reception and treatment of presidential and legislative candidacies.
2. August 18-September 4: withdrawal of forms by candidates, filing and treatment of candidacies.
3. September 5: End of filing for candidacies.
4. September 6 – 10: Addition to, subtraction from, or substitution of candidacies by political parties.
5. September 11 – 14: Centralization of and deliberation over candidacy dossiers by CENI board.
B. September 15: Publication of provisional list of candidacies by CENI board.
C. September 16-19: Submissions of petitions of rights of review by disqualified candidates.
1. September 20-26: Treatment of contentious matters relating to candidacies by the Supreme Court of Justice.
D. September 27: Publication of the definitive list of candidates by CENI board.
(E. September 18-Nov 26: Ordering, printing, and deployment of ballot papers for presidential and legislative elections.)
F. October 28-November 26: electoral campaign.
G. November 28: General elections.
H. December 6: Publication of provisional electoral results by CENI board.
I. December 7-16: Submissions of petitions of rights of review and examination of contentious matters relating to the results of the presidential election by the Supreme Court of Justice.
J. December 17: Publication of final results by the Supreme Court of Justice.
K. December 20: Swearing in of the president elect.
***
In a related development, the Dutch Embassy issued a press release stating that the Netherlands has financed the Carter Center for an electoral observation mission already operational in 6 provinces of the DRC. The operation is bound to expand.
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