DRC December Poll Faces Logistical, Security Challenges
Sudan Events – Sumaya Sayed
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is gearing up for high-stakes elections on December 20, with incumbent President Felix Tshisekedi facing challengers that include the runner-up in the disputed 2018 vote and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. With five weeks to go before polls open, organizers face a host of challenges as they seek to avoid the delays and confusion that marred the last election five years ago.
Some 44 million people are eligible to cast their ballots in the December 20 presidential contest – just under half the population of sub-Saharan Africa’s largest country. Voters will also be electing members of the national parliament and of regional assemblies in DRC’s 26 provinces, as well as local councilors.
Challenges abound in this sprawling nation with a land area of 2.3 million square kilometers, whose eastern provinces have been in the throes of grisly fighting between the army and rebel militia for more than two decades.
