General elections held in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on 20 December 2023 did not take places in some parts of the country especially Rutshuru, Masisi (North Kivu) and Kwamouth (Maï-Ndombe) due to the ongoing fighting between the government forces and M23 fighters who control large swathes of this area.
The Constitutional Court through its judgment delivered this Tuesday, March 5 authorized the national and provincial elected representatives of Rutshuru, Masisi (North Kivu) and Kwamouth (Maï-Ndombe) from 2018 to continue to sit for this new legislature, until to the organization of the polls.
This decision comes in a context where previous elections could not take place as planned in these regions due to persistent insecurity.
The presidential, national, provincial and municipal legislative elections held last December could not be organized in Rutshuru, Masisi and Kwamouth due to the security challenges encountered in these areas.
A calendar rearranged by the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) now provides for the launch of registration operations on July 1 of this year in these three territories. This enrollment phase will last until July 20, followed by a month-long electoral campaign before the actual elections are held.
