European Union cancels electoral observation mission in DRC –

The European Union (EU) canceled its electoral observation mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, its spokesperson announced this Wednesday, 29, through a press release.

“Due to technical constraints beyond the control of the EU, we are forced to cancel the EU election observation mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The EU mission had planned to send long-term observers to most provinces in the DRC, but this is no longer possible”, says the statement, published by the local press.

In the note, the European Union says it encourages the DRC authorities and all interested parties to continue their efforts to ensure that “the Congolese people can fully exercise their legitimate political and civil rights” in the next elections.

“The EU is exploring other options with the Congolese authorities, including the possibility of maintaining a mission of electoral experts to observe the electoral process from the capital,” the statement added.

Scheduled for December 20, the elections in the DRC will have more than 20 candidates in the race, among them, the current president, Félix Tshisekedi, in power since January 2019, is running for a second term.