Politics

Regional bloc, EAC, has no observer for Congo DR elections. Here’s why

Published

1 year ago

December 19, 2023

Regional bloc, the East African Community (EAC), says it will not send observers to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

It blames the authorities in Kinshasa for refusing to accredit the team.

“[The) EAC will not physically be present in DRC to observe her 2023 General Elections as provided for in the Treaty Establishing the East African Community and as it has been the practice since the inception of the EAC,” the bloc said in a statement.

“This development is due to the fact that although EAC was ready, the request to undertake the exercise has not been granted by the relevant authorities.

“The EAC wishes the government as well as the people of DRC peaceful elections and remains committed to discharge our mandate to all partner states”, it added.

According to the electoral commission, CENI, about 43.9 million voters have been registered for the elections scheduled for December 20, compared to 40.4 million in the previous poll.

President Tshisekedi, who is running for a second term, is being challenged by 25 candidates, some of whom include first-timers like Congo’s renowned Nobel Peace Prize-winning gynaecologist, Denis Mukwege, and Tshisekedi’s longtime rival, Martin Fayulu, a 66-year-old former Exxon Mobil executive who finished second in the hotly contested 2018 presidential vote that he claimed to have won.

The President, nearly all of the National Assembly members, nearly all of the elected members of the 26 provincial assemblies, and, for the first time under the new constitution, members of a small number of commune (municipal) councils will all be elected simultaneously on Wednesday.

Related Topics:Congo DR Election Featured

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Politics

Mozambique’s top court affirms governing party’s victory in recent election

Published

2 days ago

December 26, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

The highest court in Mozambique affirmed Monday that the incumbent Frelimo party won the October election, sparking widespread demonstrations from opposition parties who claim the vote was manipulated.

Fears of fresh bloodshed have been raised in the nation already shaken by weeks of fatal protests after Mozambique’s top electoral court mostly confirmed the results of the country’s contentious October elections, reinforcing the Frelimo party’s decades-long hold on power.

The final decision on the election process rests with the Constitutional Council. Mozambique, a nation of over 35 million people in Southern Africa that Frelimo has ruled since 1975, is expected to see more protests in response to its judgement.

Mozambique operates a framework of a semi-presidential representative democratic republic in a multi-party system. The president of Mozambique serves as both the head of state and the head of government.

The government exercises executive power. The administration and the Assembly of the Republic have the authority to enact laws.

Politics

Alliance of Sahel States opposes ECOWAS disengagement schedule

Published

2 days ago

December 26, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) withdrawal timeline has been rejected by the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which is made up of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.

The AES claims that the ECOWAS is attempting to destabilise their newly formed organisation.

During a meeting last week in Abuja, Nigeria, the regional organisation announced a six-month withdrawal period to give the three nations time to change their minds after their official departure date at the end of January 2025.

However, this decision is “nothing more than yet another attempt by the French and its auxiliaries to continue planning and carrying out destabilising actions against the AES,” according to the heads of state of the AES.

“This unilateral decision is not binding on the ESA countries,” the statement continues. Before the conference, they stated that their choice to leave the organisation was “irreversible.”

According to the president of the Ecowas Commission, this will be a “transition period” that ends on “July 29, 2025” to “keep the doors of Ecowas open.”

The three nations accused the bloc of neglecting to assist them in resolving their domestic security challenges and of imposing “inhumane and irresponsible” sanctions related to the coup.

The three nations that were involved in the coup have mostly rejected ECOWAS’ attempts to undo their withdrawal. They are creating their alliance and have begun thinking about how to issue travel passports independently of ECOWAS.

It is anticipated that they will finish giving their one-year notice of departure in January.

Visa-free travel to other ECOWAS members is a significant perk of membership, and it is unclear how this would alter after the three nations exit the group.