Promulgation electoral law and publication election timetable in DRC

(MENAFNEditorial) BRUSSELS Kingdom of Belgium February 17 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Didier Reynders welcomes the promulgation of the electoral law and the publication by the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) of the timetable for the provincial urban municipal and local elections in 2015 and the parliamentary and presidential elections in 2016.

Minister Reynders invites the CENI the Government and the Parliament of the Democratic Republic of the Congo as well as all other stakeholders to engage in the organisation of elections following the timetable established by the CENI. He encourages them to quickly lift all obstacles by making the electoral database credible and by adopting a reasonable budget and a disbursement plan. It is important that the presidential and parliamentary elections in 2016 are not subect to any delay beacuse of the provincial urban municipal and local elections. Everything should be done to work towards that objective.

Didier Reynders underlines the importance of the objectives and the principles defined by the African Charter on Democracy Elections and Governance. He invites all stakeholders to contribute to transparent free and fair elections. It is important to guarantee political pluralism to maintain an open political space and a level campagning field and to respect the democratic principles of freedom of expression freedom of information and freedom of association. The effective participation of citizens in the democratic process is a fundamental principle of the African Charter.

Belgium would like to remind the Congolese government and all relevant stakeholders that it stands ready to contribute to a successful electoral process that respects the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.