On January 31, the National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) announced the closing of the DRC’s voter registration process. This marks another important step toward elections in December 2018 and the DRC’s first peaceful, democratic transfer of power. The overwhelming response to CENI’s voter registration campaign is a reflection of the Congolese people’s demand for democratic elections. The next steps will be for CENI to finalize the registry in accordance with calendar deadlines and consider an external audit to increase transparency and confidence in the new registry.

“We welcome the DRC government and CENI’s efforts to register 46 million Congolese voters and ensure that election planning continues to move forward. We encourage the political process to be open to all and call for citizens to be allowed to assemble without fear of violence or arrest. We will continue to work closely with the DRC and the UN toward credible, transparent, and timely elections at the end of this year and expect President Kabila to respect a democratic transition according to the DRC’s constitution.”