The Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) has rejected the request by opposition political parties to audit the voter’s register.
During its plenary session,
CENI states that it examined the various concerns of the opposition relating to the ongoing electoral process in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
With regards to the request for a new external audit of the electoral register by an independent firm, the CENI argues that the external audit of the register is a legal requirement but rather a calendar activity included in its audit plan.
A CENI statement is quoted, “at the current stage of operations, the concerns raised by the stakeholders are already met by Article 8, paragraphs 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the Electoral Law which provides that the CENI will therefore publish, according to the prescribed law, on its website, the list of voter.
“On this occasion, the stakeholders may carry out any type of control and/or audit operations. The external audit of the electoral register does not in itself constitute a legal requirement, and even less regulatory in the context of the DRC. This audit is rather a calendar activity which is part of the good practices included in the Strategic Plan of the Central Electoral Office in order to respond to the concern for transparency. It is of free will that the CENI submitted to it.”
The request was one of the contentious demands by the opposition who insist on an independent audit to eliminate ghost and render the outcome disputed.
