The DRC elections are an evaluation of effective governance.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a large country strategically positioned at the center of the African continent, is currently engaged in muddled preparations for an election that is scheduled to occur in November 2011.  The DRC is a nation of approximately 70 million people that borders nine other countries.  It has been “blessed” with an abundance of natural resources, including the second largest river in the world and some of the most precious metals and minerals.  In spite of its many geological assets (an estimated $24 Trillion in unexplored natural resource wealth, according to a story in the African Business Magazine), the DRC has been plagued by interminable conflict that has resulted in the loss of close to 6 million people since 1998.  According to the United Nations Statistics Division, the life expectancy of a Congolese citizen is less than 50 years, infant mortality is 116 out of 1,000 live births, under age 5 mortality is 199 out of 1,000 children, only 25% of females achieve a secondary level of education, and approximately 71% of the population lives in severe poverty (less than $1.25 per day).  Recently, the DRC has been referred to as “the rape capital of the world” – a testament to the devastation that is ravaging the country.  A recent study by the American Journal of Public Health estimated that approximately 400,000 Congolese women were raped in a 12-month period from 2006 to 2007, equal to about 1,152 rapes taking place everyday.  Understanding the scale of destitution and instability that confronts the DRC is something that truly taxes the imagination.  In 2006, Antonio Guterres, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, said of the situation: “In terms of numbers, a tsunami hits Congo every six months."  The state of affairs in the DRC effectively illustrates the disastrous results instigated by the combination of a shameful colonial legacy and failed government leadership.  

The DRC provides us with an effective test case for the evaluation of democratic prospects on the African continent. Political stability in the DRC will attract a significantly more diversified form of international capital to the resource and non-resource sectors of the economy contributing to enhanced employment opportunities and quality of life improvements for the Congolese people.  We could expect that this economic activity would be more easily exported to bordering countries as a result of the increased focus on regional economic integration and the deconstruction of tariffs, duties, and other impediments to cross border trade.  Competent leadership must be in place in the DRC to take advantage of these opportunities.  The upcoming elections in the DRC should serve as an examination of each candidate’s policy prescriptions to the DRC’s many ailments.  This free and comprehensive inspection of a candidate’s future plans requires the cooperation of social institutions such as the media, civil society, and justice system in order to guarantee that the electorate is exposed to the ideas of all eligible candidates and is able to support the candidate of their choice without fear of repression.  Regretfully, the current Congolese environment is devoid of this security framework.

Numerous publications have raised caution as to the ill-advised manner in which the elections in the DRC are being prepared.  The International Crisis Group’s latest report on the DRC elections cites grave concerns with the voter registration process, noting a palpable level of distrust between those responsible for carrying out the elections and the electorate and political opposition. Mvemba P. Dizoleleand Anthony W. Gambino’s report on the DRC election, recently published through the Eastern Congo Initiative, identifies a number of serious technical concerns that would appear to threaten the holding of elections on November 28, 2011.