Democracy Reporting International (DRI) and its partners in the Coalition for Electoral Reforms in Congo (CREC) launched an advocacy event to present recommendations for electoral and institutional reforms in the DRC. This ceremony, held on 8 May at a hotel, was attended by two national deputies, the Council in charge of parliamentary issues representing the Rapporteur of the National Assembly, the Political Advisor to the Minister of the Interior and Security, the 2nd Vice-President of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) accompanied by a member of the plenary, the Chief of Staff of the President of the CENI and his deputy as well as the Director of Operations.
The technical secretary of the CREC, Bernard Nzemba, presented to the audience the ten strategic recommendations of civil society as well as their content. He said that the 10 strategic recommendations will be the subject of the CREC’s pleas with the various institutions and personalities in charge of electoral reform. These recommendations should contribute substantially to the organization of free, transparent and credible elections in the DRC.
The organisations also presented the advocacy roadmap, which sets out the various advocacy activities that the CREC intends to implement from May 2025 to June 2027. It includes lunches with parliamentarians to exchange impressions and to facilitate the appropriation of strategic recommendations with parliamentarians, as well as with the CENI and other institutions supporting democracy, but also advocacy meetings with the leaders of public institutions and technical and financial partners.
In his speech, the 2nd Vice-President of the CENI welcomed the strategic recommendations of the CREC which, according to him, go in the same direction as the electoral reform proposals formulated by his institution. He affirmed the availability of the CENI to deepen exchanges with the members of the CREC on the recommended electoral and institutional reforms.
This ceremony marks the beginning of the sensitisation of Congolese actors towards adopting recommendations of the electoral and institutional reforms advocated by civil society. It is for this purpose that some copies of the recommendations report were handed over to the guests. The Project Coordinator, Raphael Ouattara thanked the guests for their qualitative presence at the ceremony and invited stakeholders to support the CREC initiative.
The CREC is composed of 10 civil society organizations, namely: The Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace (CEJP/CENCO), the Justice, Peace and Creation Care Commission (CJPSC/ECC), Agir pour des Elections Transparent et Calmed (AETA), EBUTELI, the Governance and Democracy Network (REGED), the National Network for the Observation and Monitoring of Elections in Congo (RENOSEC), the Network of Christian-Inspired Human Rights and Civic Education Organizations (RODHECIC), Nothing Without Women (RSLF), SYMOCEL and the Civic Education Network (RECIC).
The event was also attended by the Political Counsellor of the Embassy of Sweden, the delegation of the European Union, the UNDP, MONUSCO, the Embassy of Canada, the Embassy of Norway, IRI, Diakonia as well as representatives of the political parties of the majority and the opposition, civil society, members of the CREC, DRI-DRC staff and journalists.