“Violence-torn Congo goes to the polls”
“When the polling stations have now opened in the Congo-Kinshasa after lengthy delays with the escalating violence and bloody protests. Who takes over after president Joseph Kabila made public about two weeks – but for many perceived it as already a foregone conclusion.”
“the Presidential election in the corrupt and war-torn Congo-Kinshasa has been postponed in the rounds. Now the last time a week ago, with reference to large quantities of polling materials have been destroyed in a fire in the capital, Kinshasa.”
“President Joseph Kabila, who really should have retired two years ago, has managed to cling to power despite massive and bloody protests – but today, the congolese finally go to the polls to vote on a replacement.”
“It is, however, not much evidence to suggest that it’s all going to go right to, claim Maria Eriksson Baaz, a professor of political science at Uppsala university.”
“the 2011 Elections were characterised by massive fraud and the secret service was deployed to ensure that people voted”
“– And this choice is expected to become even less free, ” she says.”
“so Far, 200 african election observers are invited, but none from the EU, according to the AFP news agency. Election commission’s new electronic rösträkningsmaskiner with touch screen has created great concern and suspicion when they are considered easy to manipulate.”
“Also, is the 1.3 million registered voters in and around the towns of Beni and Butembo in North-Kivu, and in and around Yumbi in the province of Mai-Ndombe completely excluded in Sunday’s elections, according to the authority on the basis of the conflict and comprehensive ebolautbrott.”
“the Opposition presidential candidates has the greatest support of the population, according to a poll by the New York University Congo Research Group.”
“Businessman Martin Fayulu has greatly increased in popularity in recent months and leads the league with 44 per cent.”
“Felix Tshisekedi from the main opposition party has 23 percent and the ruling alliance’s presidential candidate, who is also the country’s former interior minister, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary 18 per cent.”
“Yet it is very unbelievable that any of the opposition candidates wins, claims Eriksson Baaz.”
“– Too many perceived it as already a foregone conclusion.”
“According to the election commission to the election results published on 15 January, and a new president sworn in on 18 January. How this goes together with the deferred elections in Nord-Kivu, and the Mai-Ndombe planned in march, however, is unclear.”
“the democratic republic of Congo became independent from Belgium in 1960. The availability of natural resources such as gold, uranium, copper and cobalt could have made the country one of the world’s richest, but corrupting the leaders and the brutal militias have instead made it one of the world’s poorest.”
“The so-called Kongokrigen, in the realm of ethnic conflict in the eastern part of the country, has contributed much suffering. The war of 1998-2003 is regarded by many as the deadliest conflict since the second world war and although the war formally now is the completion of the still ongoing local violence in the east.”
“at Least 3.3 million people are estimated to have died in the war since 1998. Several neighbouring states have been involved. The UN accused in 2010 of all of the foreign forces for serious war crimes. The hardest criticism has been directed against the troops from Rwanda and Uganda.”
“in recent years, tensions further increased in several other directions and, at the end of the year 2017u002F2018 were 4 million displaced within the country. The situation is particularly serious in the Kasai region, but new battles are also going on in North and South kivu in the east, where the resistance against president Joseph Kabila increased.”
“At the presidential elections on Sunday is also parliamentary elections and elections to the provincial local parliaments.”
“Sources: institute of Foreign affairs, the Swedish national encyclopaedia,”
