DR Congo Elections to Take Place in December 2023, Officials Say

The previous presidential election in the Central African state was held in 2018 after being delayed by two years against the backdrop of civil unrest. The opposition accused then-president Joseph Kabila of intentionally delaying the elections to remain in power.

Presidential and parliamentary elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will take place on 20 December 2023, the country’s Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) has declared.

Candidates are due to be announced in the autumn of 2023. It is assumed that the current President Felix Tshisekedi will compete with the opposition leader Martin Fayulu, media reported.

At the same time elections are taking place for the head of state, voters will choose the 500 members of the National Assembly and members of about 1,000 local councils.

CENI highlighted that the elections will be held in accordance with the established timetable, despite several concerns such as logistic difficulties, risks connected with the Ebola and COVID-19 viruses, as well as the armed conflict in the eastern part of the country, where the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels have seized important territories.

"It is not a question of negotiating with the constitutional deadlines, it is a question of us of respecting them and consolidating our democracy," said government spokesman, Patrick Muyaya Katembwe.

The crisis in eastern DR Congo has been a major factor contributing to instability within the country. The M23 rebel group initially launched a massive insurrection in 2012 that was settled during peace talks. After being dormant for years, the rebels started a new uprising in 2022.

Earlier this month, leaders of the DRC, Rwanda, Burundi, Angola, as well as former Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta, declared that they had reached an agreement for a ceasefire in eastern DR Congo under the control of the DRC Armed Forces and the East African Community Regional Force. M23 said that, since they had not been part of the talks, the treaty did not concern them, calling for direct dialogue with the government.