AFRICA/DR CONGO - The creation of new provinces is likely to result in a postponement of local elections

Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) - "Going from 11 to 26 provinces will not be easy. The installation of these new provinces will require a lot of resources", says a note sent to Agenzia Fides by the "Peace in Congo Network" on the law promulgated by President Joseph Kabila on March 2 who established 26 new provinces in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
"We must build new infrastructure, recruit new administrative staff and seek the necessary means for their function" the statement said. "Considered 'election years', 2015 and 2016 are likely to turn into 'years of territorial division' and, in this case, a substantial part of the national budget could be swallowed up by the installation cost of the new provinces, making the funding of electoral process even more difficult".
The establishment of new provinces is provided by the Constitution of 2005, but according to many observers, even if constitutional, this bill is inappropriate in a moment when the DRC must find more than one billion dollars (1 billion and 145 million dollars) to organize the elections, as expected in the global electoral calendar published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
It is therefore feared that the establishment of new provinces results in a postponement of local elections also in light of the difficulties for their financing. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 31/03/2015)