DR Congo: Candidates should lay down their position in the government then stands for elections of November 2011
Many government workers applying to become either members of parliaments or president in the DR Congo have to loose their position after submitting their applications for the next elections.
According to 10th article of the electoral law sub point 5 to 9 which gives conditions under which an applicant working for the government in offices such as: government companies, magistrates, workers in public administration, members of the army and the national police of DR Congo, members of the electoral commission, advisers member of the high commission of audio visual and telecommunication can apply to be candidates for elections under condition of submitting a proof of resigning their positions.
Such a proof is one of the requirements to be included in the file of candidates.
This is a call and a reminder made on the 13th September 2011 from Lubumbashi to the electoral commission, by Serge Lukunga, the Executive Director of the NGO ACID, calling the Independent National Electoral Commission to make the electoral law being respected.
He asked also the electoral officers to cancel applications of all candidates who are still working though they have already submitted their application for the coming elections. He says that people, who fell to understand what the electoral law says, will also fell to rule the country. He asks whoever applied to become candidates to election to do what the electoral law says.
The same call has been made from Uvira on the 15th September 2011 by Seraphin Majaliwa a vice president of the Movement de Liberation du Congo, MLC Uvira branch, a political party of the opposition.
This meeting aiming at preparing people how to behave during in the electoral campaign, included Monusco or United Nations in DR Congo, radio reporters of Uvira, Fizi and Walungu, the High authority of Media, political parties, the Civilian Society and the Independent National Electoral Commission.
In it, Majaliwa asks the electoral commission to cancel all applications of people who are still working though they submitted their application for elections. Also asked this office, to cancel on the list applicants names of people who have not gone to Universities or colleges but made their own wrong degrees to meet the electoral commission requirements.
Majaliwa fear is that, candidates who remain working with the government can influence or encourage cheating by using their position, they shoul be kept aside , by doing that it will make them not to interfere in the electoral commission business. Majaliwa continued to ask the electoral commission to cancel also on the list candidates who included wrong degrees diploma in their file to meet the requirement of the electoral commission.
Jacques Ndjoli, the vice president of the electoral commission in the DR Congo, answers to Serge Lukaga the Executive Director of the NGO ACID is that: “the Independent National Electoral Commission assures to Congolese that the electoral laws will be applied and respected fully. It is true that the electoral commission expects to have a letter of resigning in the file of an applicant working in the government. Those candidates who continue to work when they have submitted their applications, they will be rejected according to electoral commission law article 10th. The rejection of application of candidates will be done after the electoral commission office will finish processing all submitted applicants’ files. Whoever will think that, he is rejected illegally by the electoral commission can make an appeal to the court.’’
But the chief of the center Uvira electoral commission, Muke Kitambala answers to Seraphim Majaliwa about the same complaint that, it is not a duty of the electoral commission office to cancel applications of candidates who applied when they still keep their position in the government.
Hence contradicting Jacques Ndjoli, the Vice president of the electoral commission. He continued to say that if anyone is offended by seing candidates continue working in the government, he needs to take the case at the court. Then the court can order the electoral commission to either cancel a name of a candidates or maintain him on the list.
About people having wrong degrees the Muke Kitambala, the chief of the electoral commission center in Uvira, replied that his office is not able to discover wrong degrees, it stops itself at checking if candidates have submitted all required documents only.
Rostand Mana, DR Congo
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