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The Association was represented by the Honourable Mauril Bélanger, P.C., M.P. and Co-Chair of the Association; the Honourable Terry Stratton, Senator; and Ms. Carole Lavallée, M.P. Objective The Association organized an observation mission relating to the first presidential ballot and the legislative election in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in co-operation with the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF). The purpose of the Association’s Mission was the same as the OIF’s, which was to observe the Congolese election process in general and the ballot on July 30, 2006, in particular. Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been plagued with crises and instability for over 10 years. The election of July 30, 2006 was the first in 40 years. Observers considered this election to be vital in achieving peace, stability and reconciliation in DRC and in the region as a whole. The electoral situation in DRC, however, was complex. There were 33 candidates on the presidential ballot, 5,000 candidates vying for 500 seats in the National Assembly, an overabundance of parties (197 parties took part in the election), highly diverse alliances (15 alliances had been formed in the months preceding the election), and 26 million Congolese voters at 50,000 central polling places. The themes of the election involved governance, peace and security, the reduction of poverty, economic development, investment, infrastructure development, employment and education. During the election, there were about 19,000 UN peacekeepers (under the mandate of MONUC – the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo). The MONUC force was supported by a 2,000-strong European Union (EU) force, the National Congolese Army and the Congolese Police Force. The security situation was complex and changeable. Canada supports the UN Operations Centre in Kinshasa. CIDA spent $12 million over the past year to prepare for the election. CIDA actively supports governance programs in DRC (battle against corruption). CIDA’s financial assistance budget for DRC in 2005-2006 was $29 million (CIDA has spent $180 million in DRC since 1998). OIF Here are some excerpts from OIF press releases issued on August 2, summarizing comments made by the Mission, in which members of the Association took part:
[Translation] The Francophonie Mission regrets that the last part of the election campaign was fraught with violence, resulting in death and serious incidents, such as looting and setting fire to the Haute Autorité des Médias (HAM) and the Observatoire National des Droits de l’Homme (ONDH), which could have had serious consequences for the electoral process. However, it is very pleased that voting operations went smoothly, overall, and salutes the civic-mindedness of the voters, the dedication of the election agents, the maturity of party and candidate monitors and the discretion of security forces, all of which contributed to the free nature of this historic election. The Mission would also like to salute the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) for its effort in having brought such a complex process to this stage. Apart from the difficulties, most of which were due to the election agents’ lack of experience and to physical limitations, which did not taint the lawfulness and sincerity of the election, the Francophonie Mission noted that the election process was free and transparent. The Francophonie Mission was struck by the strong mobilization of Congolese voters. It saw in their commitment and enthusiasm the Congolese people’s determination to make a clean break with the past and resolutely build a future in which there is peace, democracy and respect for human rights. Canadian delegates After being trained on the electoral process in Kinshasa, delegates travelled on a MONUC (UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo) flight to the city of Lubumbashi, in the southern part of the country. On site, on election day, the delegates visited many polling stations. A copy of the Report prepared by delegates for the OIF is in the appendix. This report contains detailed observations of the Canadian delegates. Other information Canadian Ambassador in DRC, Jean-Pierre Bolduc, hosted a reception attended by the delegation and many Canadians who have participated in observation missions in DRC.
Conclusion Overall, the Mission was a success in that it made it possible to observe work that has been accomplished in the field by various international organizations to ensure an acceptable election process in this country, which has experienced difficult times in the past few decades, and to help strengthen the use of democratic and parliamentarian processes. The delegation would like to thank the OIF for its support during the delegation’s visit, and the Canadian Embassy in DRC, for its warm welcome. Respectfully submitted, The
Honourable Mauril Bélanger, P.C., M.P.
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