By Enyichukwu Enemanna
At least 43.9 million persons have registered to take part in Democratic Republic of Congo’s general elections on December 20, over three million higher than the previous poll which stood at 40.4 million, authorities announced on Monday.
This comes as opposition leaders allege irregularities in the registration process heralding the election in which President Felix Tshisekedi is expected to seek a second term.
Political tensions have continued to build in the 95 million population nation, with authorities saying that security concerns have hampered voter registration in some regions.
Body in charge of electrical management, CENI has said plans are ongoing to enroll those living in volatile regions into the voter register.
The International Organisation of La Francophonie, which carried out the audit of the last registration process in 2018, refused to cooperate with the CENI this year due to the five-day timeframe but CENI has said the audit was “meticulous”.
Security forces at the weekend fired tear gas at anti-government protesters who echoed opposition candidates’ complaints of delays and alleged anomalies in the run-up to the vote.
The demonstrators were also angry about rising living costs and spiralling violence in the east, where armed militia groups battle security forces over land and mineral resources.
Opposition leaders have reacted sceptically to the enrolment figure, noting that the commission appointed its own auditors to review the figures over five days.
