Publication

This report analyzes the approaching multiparty presidential and legislative elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the first since 1965, and warns that missteps could disrupt the fragile peace. It explains that in addition to the potential for electoral fraud, the weak parties, and the planned boycott of the main opposition parties, the most immediate threat to stability comes from the eastern Congo. The report points out that dissidents from the Congolese Rally for Democracy and disenfranchised politicians may provoke a resurgence of violence in the run-up to the elections with the hope of undermining the polls and its results. The authors therefore stress that the election process has to be monitored accordingly by the international community.