Press Release
28 July 2006
Benn: Elections "Moment of great hope" for Democratic Republic of Congo
Speaking ahead of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s first democratic elections in forty years, taking place on Sunday 30 July, International Development Secretary Hilary Benn said:
“This is a moment of great hope for the Democratic Republic of Congo. I hope that the people of the DRC will remember 2006 not only as the year they elected a new government, but also as the beginning of the end to the suffering that has been a part of their lives for too long.”
Minister for Africa Lord Triesman said:
"This is a historic opportunity for the DRC, and the international community fully supports the election process. The Congolese people have high expectations for what these elections will achieve, and will hold politicians accountable for the conduct of the elections, and for delivering on their promises."
Over 25 million people have been registered to vote in the Congolese elections. The first round of voting takes place on 30 July when people will vote for candidates for President and for the National Assembly.
The UK is the largest bilateral donor to the electoral process in the DRC,
spending £35.9m in assisting the
Independent Electoral Commission (CEI),
Government institutions and civil society to organise credible elections.
Department for International Development support includes:
- Overcoming huge technical and logistical hurdles with CEI and UN, in a country the size of Western Europe with few roads;
- Informing the population about elections, their rights, and preventing violence;
- Securing the process with the police in partnership with South Africa, the brokers of the DRC peace process;
- Conflict prevention through elections mediators, the churches, and training political, military and civil society leaders;
- Maximising credibility through coordinated national and international observers;
- Levelling the playing-field through access to media, and monitoring by national institutions; and
- Supporting a proportional electoral system, and the election of Provincial Governments.
For more information please contact the Department for International Development press office on +44 (0) 20 7023 0600.
