A World Affairs Briefing: Post-election Challenges and Opportunities in the Democratic Republic of Congo

A distinguished panel will discuss the DRC's accomplishments to date and its remaining challenges, prospects for democratic governance and issues of legislative oversight and decentralization.

A new 500 member National Assembly has been sworn in, and the democratically elected president took the oath of office in December. Elections for the senate and governorships are scheduled for January 2007, to be followed by elections for local councils. While a harbinger of peace and national reconciliation, the elections have also exposed deep cleavages in the DRC, with Congolese voting along regional lines. In this context, many Congolese wonder how the newly elected leaders would address the challenges of national reconciliation and democratic development. Will they succeed in building a strong and stable democratic state that can deliver on the expectations of citizens? What are the prospects for decentralization and other tenets of democratic governance provided for by the new constitution?

A World Affairs Briefing
January 9, 12:30-2:00 pm
National Democratic Institute
2030 M St. NW 5th Floor
Washington, DC

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