Congo's election woes under Western scrutiny

The process of organizing this month's general election in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Africa's fourth most populous country, has been called "ill prepared" and "troubled" by some analysts.

It's taking place against the backdrop of flaring rebel violence in Congo's east that has already displaced 6.9 million people, as well as a shrinking space for dissent and accusations that Congo's electoral commission (CENI) is biased towards the incumbent, Felix Tshisekedi. 

Western nations have shown differing levels of unease about the situation in Congo — which is strategically located in central Africa and shares borders with nine countries — and the integrity of its electoral process.

United States is 'concerned'

Two US lawmakers wrote an open letter to Tshisekedi in early November, calling on him to guarantee that the presidential, legislative and regional elections scheduled for December 20 are "free and fair."

In the letter, Senator Chris Coons and Congressman Michael McCaul, who is chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, expressed their concern about the "lack of transparency surrounding the electoral process so far" and increasing reports of attacks and harassment of political figures and detentions of civil society activists.

CENI, which says it has registered 43.9 million voters, has failed to publish the final voter roll or allow it to be audited.

Last week, six opposition candidates asked the country's Constitutional Court to compel the electoral commission to publish the electoral roll, warning of potential irregularities and fraud.

Numerous rights organizations, both international and local, have decried the rise in political persecutions in the run up to the elections — while local press rights group Journaliste en Danger warned last week that reporters were increasingly under attack.

In October, CENI president Denis Kadima even met with US officials in Washington as part of a campaign to dispel concerns about the commission's past record.

A State Department spokesperson told Reuters news agency at the time that the US government remained concerned about "possible violence, threats to press freedom and freedom of peaceful assembly, and attempts by certain parties to manipulate the vote."

Just before campaigning began on November 19, the US embassy in Congo "saluted" the certification of 26 presidential candidates and also "noted actions by authorities to uphold the freedom of movement of political candidates."

US interest influenced by minerals

Researcher and Congo expert Jason Stearns said that while there are those in Washington who care deeply about the dire humanitarian situation in Congo, he believes the US is increasingly focused on the impoverished nation because it is worried that most of Congo's mining exports flow to China.

As well as having major deposits of copper, gold and diamonds, Congo is home to the world's largest reserves of cobalt, a key component in batteries for electric cars and mobile phones.

"Much of [Congo's] mining sector is now owned by China and almost all of these minerals are shipped out to China," said Stearns, founder of the Congo Research Group at New York University.

"The United States has become increasingly worried and concerned about this as tensions with China are ratcheted up."

European Union cancels election observers

The EU Council issued a strongly worded statement in July about Congo's election preparations. While it noted CENI's "sustained work," the statement highlighted criticisms and concerns made by the opposition and civil society in Congo.

"Ensuring the full integrity of the electoral process requires freedom of speech, media, assembly, association, and movement. Any excessive or disproportionate use of force in response to peaceful demonstrations or arbitrary detentions is incompatible with this requirement," the statement said.

The EU planned, however, to deploy a long-term election observer mission to Congo upon Tshisekedi's invitation.

Although these plans have since cancelled because of security concerns, agreeing to send observers is a turnaround from the 2018 elections when the government of then president, Joseph Kabila, refused to accept EU election monitors.

The team of around 40 observers flew to Congo but were "unable to deploy throughout the country due to security reasons," the EU said in a statement released on November 29.

"Due to technical constraints beyond the EU's control, we are forced to cancel the election observation mission," it said, adding that essential telecommunications equipment had not been made available to the observers deployed in the country.

This made the long-term observation "impossible."

The EU is reportedly exploring other options, including having a mission of electoral experts to observe the electoral process from Kinshasa.

The Tshisekedi government said it regretted the EU's decision.

However, Congo has reportedly yet to approve the accreditation of the EU's new ambassador, leaving the diplomatic position empty at a pivotal time.

"In general, most European countries are aligning themselves with the Commission's position on monitoring and supporting the electoral process in the DRC," Bob Kabamba, a political scientist at the University of Liege in Belgium, told DW.

France, he said, is "keeping a low profile" when it comes to Congo to avoid sparking "more anti-French sentiment in other African countries."

As for Belgium, said Kabamba, the former colonial power originally supported Tshisekedi, who assumed power after the 2018 election widely perceived to have been won by another candidate. But, he said, the "shortcomings" of the election preparations on top of Tshisekedi "breaking many promises" when it comes to improving governance and tackling corruption mean Belgium has "slowly begun to take a lukewarm view of the Tshisekedi regime and also of the electoral process."

Congo: 'Fatigue towards Western powers'

Despite its mineral wealth, Congo is among the five poorest nations in the world. In 2022, 62% of Congolese, around 60 million people, lived on less than $2.15 (€2.00) a day, according to the World Bank. This makes the country particularly dependent on Western aid.

"Tshisekedi has spent a large part of his presidency outside of the country, courting and negotiating with these donors," pointed out researcher and author Jason Stearns. "So there's a perception that these donors are very important," something he is sure the EU was able to "leverage" to deploy their observers.

On the other hand, said Nick Elebe, a Congo-based special advisor at the Open Society Africa, most Western countries have limited leverage on the election process because they aren't funding it directly.

He sees in Congo the same fatigue towards Western powers, who are seen as acting hypocritically, particularly in their failure to rebuke neighboring Rwanda for its support of M23 rebels fighting in eastern Congo.

Although Rwanda denies supporting the M23 rebels, investigations by the United Nations, among other organizations, provide "solid evidence" that it does.

Tshisekedi's government was also hoping for more investment and business from Western countries, he said, to reduce its reliance on aid.

"This is the reason why Congo is turning again to others, like China or Russia," he said.

Edited by: Keith Walker and Benita van Eyssen

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