Enough Project and ECI – Moment of Truth in the Congo

 

The Congo’s November 28 national
elections were marred by widespread mismanagement and fraud. Johnnie Carson,
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, said on Thursday: “The
U.S. government along with some of our international partners has found the management and technical aspect
of these elections to be seriously flawed, the vote tabulation to be lacking in
transparency, and not on par with positive gains in the democratic process that
we have seen in other recent African elections.” Friday’s ruling by the
Congolese Supreme Court, the last step in the official Congolese process of
ratifying election results, merely rubberstamped the already discredited results
reported by the Congolese National Electoral
Commission.

“DRC is poised on the edge. On November 28, together
with ECI Founding Member Cindy McCain, we witnessed overwhelming voter turnout, particularly
among women and youth voting for the first time,”  said Whitney
Williams, Eastern Congo Initiative CEO. “On Election Day, the
Congolese people showed their determination to have their voices heard, but it
has become clear that the institutions of the Congolese state have failed the
Congolese people. Today, no one can know who actually won last month’s election.
The international community, led by the United States, must work with the
Congolese to find a way back towards democracy and away from
violence.”

Enough Project co-founder John Prendergast stated, “The
potential for large-scale violence grows by the day.  This electoral process was
not credible, and as such the United States and broader
international community should not recognize its results.  A major diplomatic
initiative is necessary to prevent a new Congolese conflict and targeted attacks
on the basis of political party affiliation. “

The United
States has said repeatedly and publicly that it stands for
credible, democratic elections in the Congo. Now it is time for actions to
back those words. Senators Coons (D-DE) and Isakson (R-GA) pointed the right way
by stating on Friday: "All sides should engage in dialogue about next steps and
consider establishing a formal mediation process with the support of the
international community.  We call on President Kabila to direct his security
forces to protect the Congolese people, and work with Mr. Tshisekedi to resolve
their disagreements in a way that will restore credibility to the process. The
U.S. stands with the Congolese people
in their attempt to advance democracy and hope it can be achieved
peacefully."

ECI and Enough call on President Obama and Secretary
Clinton to:

· Immediately state that,
since the election results are not credible and do not conform to basic
international standards, that the United States does not recognize
these results as a legitimate democratic outcome.

· Call for the formation of an
international panel, perhaps under the auspices of the African Union’s Peace and
Security Council, to work with Congolese authorities and opposition leaders to
review all aspects of the electoral process, with a mandate to evaluate the
results and recommend next steps. This would include a detailed technical review
conducted by international experts of every aspect of the Presidential election,
with a view to establishing the extent and effect of all the reported
irregularities and fraud.

· Ensure urgent high level
international mediation between the parties to prevent the escalation of
violence.

· Make clear to President
Kabila that he should delay any inauguration until the legitimate, democratic
winner of the election is known via a credible, internationally sanctioned
process. If President Kabila wishes to regain the democratic legitimacy that he
said was so important to him after he won elections in 2006, he needs to accept
international mediation to find a way to resolve the present
crisis.

· Emphasize to President
Kabila that his security forces must not resort to violence in the face of
legal, peaceful civilian demonstrations.

· Lay the groundwork for
possible referral to the International Criminal Court of anyone using violence
against civilians to further their political objectives.

"If the U.S. Administration and the international
community delay in taking action to address the situation in the Congo they risk
not only potential violence in the coming days but the prospect of an unstable
and illegitimate government for years to come," said John C. Bradshaw, Enough
Project Executive Director.

“With quick action by the U.S., there is
still time to find a solution that respects the will of Congolese voters and
their demonstrated desire for democracy. Without U.S. leadership, Congo may
descend into the kind of instability and violence that characterized the country
just a few years ago, effectively crippling economic development and impacting
the safety, health and vitality of women and children most of all,” said Cindy
McCain, Philanthropist and Founding Member of Eastern
Congo Initiative.