Post-election Challenges and Opportunities in the Democratic Republic of Congo

NDI World Affairs Briefing

After an armed conflict that began in the late 1990s, the DRC is inching closer to the installation of a more legitimate government. A new constitution was approved by approximately 85 percent of the electorate in a national referendum that took place in December 2005. Over 25 million citizens registered to vote and more than 15 million voters cast ballots in the constitutional referendum. The country's first set of multiparty presidential and legislative elections since 1960 took place in July and October, 2006.

However, significant political and logistical challenges threaten the legitimacy of the new government.

Legitimacy gap:
Despite the country's enormous wealth of natural resources, for decades Congolese have not experienced an improvement in their wellbeing. There is a pervasive sense of resignation and cynicism about government that is not likely to change any time soon. Illiteracy, poor communication and transportation infrastructure and the absence of proper channels of participatory governance inhibit citizen's ability to participate directly in the democratic process. Rampant corruption at all levels inhibits the government's ability to fulfill its basic responsibilities and generates cynicism that would be reinforced if the elections are not seen as credible and transparent by a sizeable percentage of the population.

Weak Institutions:
Effective democratic institutions such as political parties, the National Assembly and civil society associations are essential. Reducing the threat of spoilers, increasing the government's legitimacy and creating opportunities for opposition parties, the media and civil society associations to participate meaningfully in decision making processes would strengthen the country's nascent institutions. The DRC's new democratic institutions would be limited in their capacity to fulfill their roles. For example, many members of the new 500 member National Assembly would be first time legislators. Also, the open list electoral system is likely to produce a severely fractious legislature given the country's 250 political parties and hundreds of independent candidacies.

Oversight, Checks and Balances:
An effective legislature would have a vital role to play in curbing corruption and government abuses in the DRC. Decades of autocratic rule and armed conflict have led the majority of Congolese citizens to lower their expectations of government. Members of the newly elected legislature, many of whom have no legislative experience, will face significant challenges both in terms of institutional management and the ability to legislate, represent citizen interests and exercise proper oversight of the Executive branch. The transitional legislature was fractionalized and poorly funded, and the incoming National Assembly will face similar challenges if steps are not taken to guarantee it's independence and functionality. 

Prospects for stability in Eastern DRC:
The ability of the newly elected leadership to affect positive change in the tumultuous eastern part of the country, far removed from Kinshasa, is contingent on effective representative bodies such as the National Assembly and a professional military and police force. For years, Eastern Congo has been wracked by violence, exacerbated by the presence of militias aided, directly and indirectly, by neighboring states and governments. Unfortunately, instability in Eastern Congo also impacts developments in the neighboring countries of Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and Sudan.