DR Congo election 2023: All you need know about Democratic Republic of Congo presidential elections

Nearly 40 million Congolese voters go enta polls on 20 December to vote for di kontri presidential elections.

President Félix Tshisekedi dey run for second, and final, five-year term for office.

Di Democratic Republic of Congo na di largest kontri for sub-Saharan Africa.

Di kontri big like di size of Western Europe and e get di population of about more dan 100 million pipo, di kontri dey rich in natural resources.

Even though calls dey make di election postponed, di head of di electoral commission dey confident say everything go dey ready in time.

DR Congo hold 70% of di world reserves of coltan, one highly prized mineral dem dey use make mobile phones. Di kontri also get 30% of di world diamonds and large quantities of cobalt, copper and bauxite.

Although im plenty mineral wealth and huge population represent huge economic assets, however life for DR Congo no dey easy for most pipo for some number of reasons, like conflict, corruption and many years of poor governance wey go back to di colonial era.

Eastern DR Congo, wia most of di mineral wealth dey, don dey ravaged by conflict for three decades.

E dey impossible to know how many pipo don die – One study wey di International Rescue Committee carry out for 2008 show say about 5.4 million pipo fit don die, mostly from hunger and disease, wey make am di deadliest since World War Two. However, other studies don cast doubt on di accuracy of dis figure.

Afta years of political instability and coups, DR Congo dey organise elections for di first time since di peaceful transfer of power between former President Joseph Kabila and Oga Tshisekedi for 2019.

Afta di withdrawal of six candidates, wey include former Prime Minister Augustin Matata Ponyo, na 20 presidential candidates dey now, including Oga Tshisekedi.

Four of di candidates wey don withdraw from di election don throw dia support behind Oga Katumbi and im “Together for di Republic” party, while two, Patrice Majondo Mwamba and Joëlle Bile, now dey back President Tshisekedi.

Di pipo wey still dey run na one former Prime Minister, Adolphe Muzito, MP Delly Sesanga, activist Floribert Anzuluni and Constant Mutamba.

Ms Bile withdrawal leave just one female candidate – Marie-Josée Ifoku Mputa, wey also run for di 2018 election.

Running for election no dey cheap.

All candidates gatz pay 160m Congolese francs to participate ($60,000; £47,000) for non-refundable application fees.

However, dis dey less dan previous election, wen di fee na $100,000.

Whichever candidate gain di most votes for di first round go become di next president, whether or not dem get more dan 50%. So second round run-off no dey.

Di winner go dey for di post for a five-year term, renewable once only.

Voting go take place 90 days before di expiration of di current president term.

Dis year, dem go combine di presidential election plus di national, provincial parliaments and local councillors togeda.

Dis year elections dey take place even as conflict dey happun for di east, one economic and social crisis plus lack of trust between di government and opposition.

Opposition parties suspect say di government dey plan electoral fraud, and don accuse goment of restricting freedoms and democratic space.

Di government don reject these accusations.

Di plenty assurances wey di Independent National Electoral Commission (Ceni) give don fail to alleviate di opposition concerns.

Di bishops of DR Congo influential Catholic Church, plus di leaders of di Church of Christ for Congo (ECC) recently tok say dem share di opposition worries.

cost-of-living crisis also dey ground. Di effects of di Covid-19 pandemic and di war for Ukraine still dey hit ordinary Congolese pipo for di pocket.

Inflation don reduce di purchasing power of ordinary citizens, wey dey pay more now for dia basic necessities, like food.

Di value of di Congolese franc don fall by 15-20% against di US dollar since di start of di year, according to official figures.

Two-thirds of DR Congo population now dey live below di poverty line, and dey earn $2.15 a day or less.

President Tshisekedi don launch a number of initiatives to try to tackle these issues including free primary school education and free healthcare for women wey dey born for public medical facilities.

However, opinion still dey divided on top how effective these measures dey across di kontri.

Di government don sama state of siege across di provinces of North Kivu and Ituri for almost a year but conflict continue to rage.

Rebel groups like di M23, di Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and Codeco continue to carry out attacks against both ordinary pipo and military targets.

Sake of di violence, DR Congo dey among di kontri wey get di highest number of internally displaced pipo for di world. Dem don force almost 6.9 million pipo to run comot dia houses since March 2022.

UN estimate say about 28% of di population don dey displaced for North Kivu and 39% for Ituri respectively.

Oda hotspots don emerge sake of inter-community conflicts, notably for di province of Tshopo, for di north-east, and for Maï-Ndombe, for di south-west of di kontri.

E dey likely say insecurity go affect voting for some parts of di kontri.

For November, di electoral commission tok say dem lose around 30 agents to drowning and attacks by armed groups during di registration of voters.

Di Congolese government recently demand say make French sojas comot di East African kontris by di end of di year, on top accuse say dem fail to stop attacks from armed groups less dan one year afta dia deployment.

Di electoral commission suppose be autonomous, permanent and neutral body wey dey governed by public law, and endowed wit legal power.

E dey made up of 15 members, dia mission na to “guarantee free and democratic elections”.

However, dem don come under fire from critics wey accuse dia president, Denis Kadima, say e dey too close to di government. Dem fear di fact say e come from di same ethnic group like di president fit affect di integrity of di result.

For im part, Mr Kadima don repeatedly tok say im institution dey committed to transparent elections wey respect democratic principles.

Di European Union observer mission don pull out of di election, afta dem fail to reach agreement wit di Congolese government on top di importation of communication devices dem need to use. Dem go send eight experts to di capital, Kinshasa.

In di past, di African Union, religious denominations and civil society organisations don deploy observers to closely monitor voting.

According to di electoral calendar, di provisional results dey expected on 31 December.

If di results dey ready before dat, dem go announce am sooner. But in previous elections, Ceni no ever announce any partial results – dem wait until dem don count all di votes across dis very big kontri before dem declare di winner.

Dem go swear in di next president into office on 20 January.