KINSHASA, NOVEMBER 9, 2018 (CISA)-The South African Development Community (SADC) Electoral Consultative Council has hailed the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) for its commitment towards the countries upcoming General Elections.
The SADC delegation led by Leshele Abel Thoahiane, met the General Secretariat of CENCO on November 6, in Kinshasa.
“We encourage CENCO to follow the pending issues because we want to be sure that the elections in the DRC are credible,” Leshele said.
The bishops were also praised for its role in the New Years Eve Agreement whose contents restricted President Joseph Kabila from contesting for presidency for a third term.
In September, Archbishop Fridolin Ambongo the Vice President of CENCO urged President Edgar Lungu of Zambia, the Chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC)’s organ on politics Defense and Security Cooperation (SADC Troika) to support the Democratic Republic of Congo to conduct peaceful elections in December.
“We are convinced that only a credible, transparent, inclusive and peaceful election is the real solution and peaceful way out of the socio-political crisis that our country has been going through since 2016,” he said.
“…with your SADC colleagues, you can help the Congolese people come out of this crisis to win the challenge of organising a worthy, credible, transparent, inclusive and peaceful election on 23 December 2018,” the bishops said.
They requested SADC to accompany the Congolese people and to also play a role in addressing some of the concerns expressed for credibility, transparency, inclusive and peaceful elections.
President Lungu pledged to work with other SADC member states on taking steps to help create confidence in the DRC’s electoral process and ensure that the outcome of the election is free, fair and universally acceptable.
DRC is a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), a Regional Economic Community comprising 16 Member States.
